Building the Band is an American reality television singing competition that aired on Netflix in July 2025. The program format sees 44 artists form six groups through a selection process, which leads to eliminations until one group is selected as the winner and earning a $500,000 prize. Many reviewers said that the best thing about the show was the posthumous appearances of Liam Payne. The series was won by 3Quency.

Format In the first round, all artists sang a solo performance to the rest of the contestants while in pods, unable to see one another. Each artist was able to send 10 "likes" to performers who they wanted to see in a band alongside them. Artists who received fewer than five likes, or had only been liked by performers who had been eliminated or had formed a band without them, were eliminated. At the end of the round, six bands formed, each containing three to five members, who met for the first time during subsequent performances. These then competed in showcases, with each eliminating a band; last band standing won $500,000.

History Cat Lawson and Simon Crossley got the idea for Building the Band by the lack of bands on the Billboard Hot 100. Netflix announced Building the Band in May 2024 and that Banijay UK subdivision Remarkable Entertainment would produce it; executive production was handed by Lawson, Crossley, Alison Holloway, Clara Elliot, and Katrina Morrison. The show's host and judges, AJ McLean, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland, and Nicole Scherzinger, were announced in August; the four had previously been members of the Backstreet Boys, One Direction, Destiny's Child, and the Pussycat Dolls.

Production took place during summer 2024, with the final performances taped in late August in Manchester. Payne died in October 2024; the show marked his final public appearance and was topped and tailed with tributes to him. Episodes were broadcast in batches between July 9 and July 23, 2025; the latter date also marked One Direction's 15th anniversary. Episode 4 ended with five bands formed, while episode 7 ended with three bands safe and two in jeopardy.

Shortly before the final, the show's 3Quency, SZN4, Soulidified, and Midnight 'Til Morning performed at Netflix Summer Break, a promotional vehicle for participants of other Netflix shows. The series was won by 3Quency, who performed Chloe's "Have Mercy" and Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" in the final. The runners-up were SZN4, who performed Rag'n'Bone Man's "Human" and The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" in the final, and Soulidified, who came third after performing NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye".

Multiple reviewers said that Payne was the best thing about the show, although The i Paper questioned the show's existence given his death and The Daily Telegraph described it as an "insincere" blend of The X Factor, The Circle, and Love Is Blind. Nicer reviews came from The Guardian and The Standard. The show's cancellation was announced in June 2026, by which time 3Quency, SZN4, Soulidified, and Midnight 'Til Morning had all released music and toured.

Contestants Fifty contestants were billed, although only 44 were broadcast. 3Quency's members included Brianna Mazzola, who had voiced Velvet in Trolls Band Together and appeared on Club Mickey Mouse, and Briana Gilyard, who left after the others opted to become a three-piece. Chance Perez, Karlee Tanaka, and Erica Padilla had previously been on Boy Band, Dream Academy, and Eurovision Song Contest feeder show Eurovision - Australia Decides respectively; the first had won his series as part of In Real Life and voiced Javi Garcia in Power Rangers Dino Fury and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury. Padilla had also been on Australian Idol. Other contestants included Zach Newbould, who had been on The Voice; Conor Smith, who had been on the Australian version; Elise Kristine, who had been on American Idol; and Malik Heard, who had been on The Voice and American Idol. Soulidified were known as ICONYX during the tenth episode.

+ FinalistsBandContestantAgeOrigin3QuencyBrianna Mazzola24PhiladelphiaNori Royale24AtlantaWennely Quezada25Kansas City, KansasSZN4Aaliyah Rose22Orem, UtahCameron Goode22Blue Island, IllinoisDonzell Taggart25Little Rock, ArkansasKatie Roeder24Malden, MassachusettsICONYXBradley Rittmann23BostonLandon Boyce21Santa Clara, UtahMalik Heard28DallasShade Jenifer27Clinton, MarylandMidnight'Til MorningConor Smith22San Remo, New South WalesMason Watts25ToowoombaShane Appell22Putnam Valley, New YorkZach Newbould21BostonSweetSeductionAlison Ogden24Grasonville, MarylandElise Kristine21Issaquah, WashingtonHaley Gosserand21Kansas City, MissouriSirenSocietyAutumn Bryant21Bowie, MarylandErica Padilla24MelbourneJenna Davenport19Las VegasNoriella Gjieli24New York, New York

+ Other contestantsContestantAgeOriginAlexandra Starr29Long Beach, New YorkBriana Gilyard23Summit, New JerseyCece Keating21Brooklyn via TexasChance Perez27Seal Beach, CaliforniaChristian Kirk28Nashville, TennesseeEric Tyler25Orangeburg, South CarolinaEthan Pugh26Marysville, OhioGabriella Lora25New York, New YorkHannah Alexandra23MiamiJenna Marquis21Simi Valley, CaliforniaJermarcus Riggins27Fort Lauderdale, FloridaJoey McGrew22Waller, TexasKarlee Tanaka21HonoluluKevin Chung29AtlantaMandy Rosebish24Mechanicsville, VirginiaMax Wright21Nevada City, CaliforniaMaya Patel25Crystal Lake, IllinoisNico May21MilwaukeePeter Carboni30BostonPillow Prince26ChicagoThomas Berberian Gonzaga21GoianaVibi Borghesi27Ontario

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