Members of One Direction go their own direction
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
One Direction went on a hiatus, which started Nov. 2015, after the release of their most recent album, “Made in the A.M.”
It has been close to two years since One Direction released their latest album “Made in the A.M.” and announced their break.
It is fitting that they called this hiatus a “break” because it broke the hearts of One Direction fans everywhere. Prior to this break, One Direction fans were shocked with the news of Zayn Malik’s departure from the band, which he announced on Mar. 25 2015.
It’s safe to say that the past couple of years for directioners, the name for One Direction fans, have been unstable.
“I was so sad when One Direction went on their break,” said sophomore Cassie Sika. “I miss listening to the music they made as a group; it’s not the same anymore.”
However, like any romantic breakup, band breakups are difficult to come to terms with, but also result in new beginings. Each member of One Direction has moved on from their boy band days and has presented their solo careers with interesting results.
- Zayn Malik
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
Zayn’s departure from the band lead to the creation of his first solo album, “Mind of Mine”.
Malik was the first member to leave the band; a major blow to the dynamic of One DIrection. Fans everywhere were distraught over the news.
“I really wish Zayn didn’t leave,” said Sika. “He was my favorite.”
His departure, however, has blessed us with the album known as “Mind of Mine” which is Malik’s first solo album.
The cover of “Mind of Mine” features a baby picture of Malik with tatoos on his arms.
He announced this new album with the drop of his single “Pillow Talk” on Jan. 29 2016. This single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Mind of Mine” sold 112,000 pure album sales and had 40.8 million streams.
“Mind of Mine” presents fans with an edgier side of Malik and a more modern sound to his music.
Despite his success with “Mind of Mine”, Malik prefers not to go on tour. He is said to have a fear of performing live and he struggles with anxiety.
Moving on from “Mind of Mine”, Malik has been featured in a few songs here and there including “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Taylor Swift, released Dec. 9 2016. Additionally, he released a few stray songs like “Dusk Till Dawn” and “Still Got Time” scattered throughout 2017, but he has not taken on any major projects recently.
- Niall Horan
Photo courtesy of Billboard.
Niall Horan is the only irish member of One Direction.
Known as the Irish lad of “One Direction” Niall Horan has been producing recent and charming songs for his fans.
He launched his solo career with the release of “This Town” on Sept. 29 2016, which he followed up with the song “Slow Hands” on May 4 2017.
“This Town” is Horan’s first single off of his album, “Flicker”.
“This Town” responded well with Dukes at York.
“I like ‘This Town’ because it is similar to some One Direction songs,” said freshman Chloe Hamelberg. “I like the style Niall is going towards with this song.”
On Oct. 20 2017, Horan finally released his first solo album “Flicker”. “Flicker” sold 152,000 units from Oct. 20 2017 to Oct. 28 2017, a difficult feat.
“Flicker” is Horan’s first solo studio album that was a success in sales.
“Flicker” is full of songs that balance romance along with giving listeners a look into Horan himself.
In a note to his fans on twitter Horan wrote: “It’s been a crazy couple of years for me between writing, recording, and promoting this records.”
Horan is currently on the final leg of his tour titled “Flicker Sessions,” but is set to perform more dates in 2018.
- Harry Styles
Photo courtesy of The Sun.
Harry Styles is currently on the european leg of his tour, “Harry Styles: Live on Tour”.
Harry Styles was pretty much under the radar after the group’s break. However, he revealed himself on Apr. 7 2017 with the release of his first solo single “Sign of the Times”.
Shortly thereafter, Styles released his first solo album which was self titled as “Harry Styles”.
Harry Styles kicked off his album, “Harry Styles” with the release of, “Sign of the Times”.
It is evident throughout “Harry Styles” that Styles makes an effort to retreat from his past boyband ways and emerge as serious musician. York also notices this change in Styles.
“I love the song ‘Sign of the Times’ because Harry is definitely changing his style of music from One Direction and going towards what style he wants to do,” said Hamelberg.
Styles is currently on tour for “Harry Styles” named, “Harry Styles: Live on Tour” which started in Sept. 2017 and will continue until June 2018. “Harry Styles: Live on Tour” will cover continents such as North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
- Liam Payne
Photo courtesy of Billboard.
Liam Payne has released three singles as apart of his solo career so far.
Since the band’s hiatus, Liam Payne has not done much pertaining to his music. Unlike Malik, Horan, and Styles, Payne has yet to release a solo album.
However, like Malik, Payne has sporadically released random singles that include: “Bedroom Floor”, “Get Low”, and his most popular single, “Strip That Down”.
“Strip That Down” has stayed on the U.S. iTunes Chart for 160 days.
Besides his random singles, Payne has disappointed fans with his lack of quality music.
“I am disappointed in Liam Payne’s solo career because his genre and style of music is not what I like to listen to and I think it’s too mainstream,” said sophomore Abby Moriarty. “I really think that his other band members have done a lot better, and he has not performed as well as I thought he would as a solo artist. “
Aside from his music Payne has been fathering his new son Bear, who was born on Mar. 22 2017 with Cheryl Cole.
- Louis Tomlinson
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Tomlinson is planning on releasing a solo album in 2018.
Similar to his former bandmate Payne, Louis Tomlinson has not been as ambitious with his music as Malik, Horan, and Styles.
Tomlinson released a few singles here and there including: “Just Hold On” on Dec. 10 2016, “Back to You” on July 21 2017 and “Just Like You” on Oct. 12 2017.
Tomlinson’s single, “Just Hold On” featured Steve Aoki, a well-known DJ.
On his song “Just Like You” Tomlinson said: “This is one of my favorites from the album. Conceptually I think it’s sums me up.”
With that said, Tomlinson will be producing his first solo album that he will be releasing sometime in 2018.
Tomlinson’s solo career is a hit around York.
“I’m very proud of Louis and I like a lot of his songs,” said sophomore Cat Hanson. “I’m proud of him because I thought he was not as appreciated as much as Harry and Zayn because they have stronger voices and now that he has his solo career it’s pretty lit.”
In addition to his music, Tomlinson has a son named Freddie with Briana Jungwirth. Freddie was born on Jan. 21 2016. However, Jungwirth and Tomlinson are not dating.
Though the One Direction break has been painful for some, it has further illuminated the talent of each boy. Whether or not they will reunite in the future is unknown, but fans will be able to see the evolution of music of each boy as they embark on their solo careers.
“One day in the future I know they’ll all come back together and I can’t wait for that day to come; it’s gonna be better than Christmas,” said Hanson.
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