Liam Payne: 'Jingle Ball dates will be strange solo'

Pop star Liam Payne will feel a little "strange" performing on the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour as a solo act because One Direction played the festive circuit before they went on hiatus.

Payne will join bandmate Niall Horan when the holiday-themed tour kicks off in Dallas, Texas on 28 November (17), and he admits the dates will take some getting used to.

"It’s gonna be a bit strange, right?” Payne told Billboard at the official iHeartRadio Jingle Ball launch event in New York City on Tuesday (10Oct17). "I really enjoy performing and I’m hoping everybody’s enjoying my songs... It’s a great end to the year."

The last time Payne played a Jingle Ball gig was in Los Angeles in 2015 - what would be One Direction’s last show in America.

"It was a bittersweet feeling, because we knew we were getting a little bit of a break," Payne recalls. "Obviously we knew it was the end and the confusion of not knowing when it’s gonna come back, what’s gonna happen next. So there was a lot of mixed feelings around that thing. But I think it’s all happened for the best."