The British boy band went on hiatus nine years ago, a period in which all members launched solo careers
The band One Direction had several musical successes before the members announced an indefinite hiatus in 2015. Liam Payne’s tragic death on Wednesday (10/16) made the split permanent.
The musical group was formed by Liam, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik on the program “The X Factor” (2010), in the United Kingdom. At the time of the reality show, young people were trying to consolidate their careers individually, but the judges changed the direction of the competing kids.
Despite not winning the edition, 1D gained enough prominence to start a successful career after the program, in which they finished in 3rd place. Shortly thereafter the group managed to sign a contract with a record label. The success was sensational, especially among the teenage public, who was enchanted by the aesthetics of the young artists. Their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful” (2011), surpassed 5 million copies sold worldwide and is considered by Billboard to be the band’s biggest success, while their first album, “Up All Night “, was the best-selling British record ever. that year.
Additionally, Billboard states that 1D has sold more than 50 million records worldwide and, in 2014, became the first group to have their first four albums top the “Billboard 200” list. The band also received a biopic and went on world tours, including shows in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The beginning of the end
Despite his fame, singer Zayn Malik announced his departure from the group in 2015, when he said he needed to “relax” and stay “out of the spotlight.” During this period, 1D also released a quartet album, titled “Made in AM”, the boyband’s last.
In 2015, One Direction said they were going on an indefinite hiatus: “Okay, there’s a lot of rumors going around. We’re not breaking up, but we’re going to take a well-deserved break at some point next year.” Niall Horan posted on the old Twitter. Until then the press believed that the group would be absent for about a year.
Some North American media even reported that the hiatus was unrelated to Malik’s departure, as the members reportedly took a break as a group even though the artist was still participating in the project. From then on the members pursued individual projects, as in the case of Harry Styles, who attracted audiences with his solo career.
Different paths
After the split, Styles made his acting debut in the action film “Dunkirk” (2017), dividing his work in music with performances around the world. He also participated in “Eternos” (2021) and starred in “Não se Preocupe, Querida” (2022), released in the same year in which he shone with the song “As It Was”, one of his main musical successes. with more than 770 million views on YouTube. Another of his inevitable hits was “Watermelon Sugar,” released in 2020.
Zayn Malik has become the most prolific of them all, releasing four solo albums after splitting from the group. He is also the former member with the most followers on Instagram (more than 52.5 million) and views on YouTube, where he has amassed more than 1.2 billion views on videos for “Dusk Till Dawn” and “Pillowtalk” . Now he is about to debut his first solo tour in the United States.
Louis Tomlinson has recorded two studio albums and released his first live album this year. One of his biggest solo hits was “Back to You” (2017) and he said he feels “lucky” to have done two world tours in the last three years.
Niall Horan released his first album, “Flicker” (2017), shortly after confirming the group’s breakup, recording their biggest hit, “Slow Hands”, which remains their most popular clip on YouTube, with over 244 millions of views. Since then, he has released two more albums, the latest last year, without repeating the commercial impact. In 2023, he made his coaching debut on “The Voice” and is currently on a world tour, which Liam Payne participated in, days before his tragic death.
Liam Payne was the least successful after One Direction split, despite being considered the group’s main songwriter. The musician has released only one album, “LP1” (2019), and was having difficulty creating a new solo album. Liam’s project was postponed after the single “Teardrops” did not enter the TOP 30 of the most played songs in the UK, reaching only 43rd position. He ended his contract with his manager at the beginning of 2024.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
