Liam's 'X Factor' Audition Is Crazy To Watch Now

Now that Liam Payne and Cheryl are reportedly expecting a baby, re-watching Payne's X Factor audition video is really a sight to see. As fans know, this is where the One Direction singer and X Factor judge met for the first time — when he was 14 and she was 24. Obviously, they didn't start dating until years later (when they got together in December 2015, he was 22 and she was 32), but it's still something else to not only have their first interaction on camera, but also to watch it with the knowledge that one day they would ~grow up~ to date and possibly have a baby together. Mind. Blown. (Payne and Cheryl's reps could not be reached for comment.)

Payne actually auditioned for The X Factor twice, and both times the former Girl Aloud singer was a judge. For his first audition in 2008, Payne sang Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon," and it was clear that Cheryl was enchanted by his performance, smiling the whole time and offering her praise to the singer.

"I like you. I think you're really cute," she told the young Payne at the time. "I think you've got charisma. You gave us that little cheeky wink." She went on to give him a hearty "yes" when asked to move him onto the next round.

But Payne getting his shot at fame that season was not in the cards, as he was ultimately eliminated before getting to the finals. Of course, that didn't stop him from giving it another go, auditioning for the show two years later in 2010 — the season that would create One Direction and launch his entire career in the music industry.

For that audition, Payne sang "Cry Me a River" (disappointingly, not the Justin Timberlake version), and once again, Cheryl was into it.

"You definitely got it. Whatever it is, you've got it," she told him, possibly harkening back to a comment Payne made in his first audition — about how he didn't know what the "X factor is, but [the judges] do."

"Thank you Cheryl," he replied, beaming.

"And I thought your voice was really, really powerful," she added. Needless to say, it was a solid "yes, definitely" from her.

Who would have thought these two would one day be in a relationship and allegedly become parents together? Despite the fact that they obviously got along and Cheryl thought Payne was a talented kid, no one could have guessed that they would reportedly be expecting a baby together eight years later — which is exactly why it's so crazy to watch his audition footage with that knowledge in mind.