LONDON (AP) 鈥� was one of the last boy bands from the age of mass-audience linear television and one of the first of the social media era.
That helped propel them to a level of fame comparable but with the constant scrutiny of a world of smartphones and streaming. The band members, still in their teens, had to cope with the fame, then navigate the aftermath of its split while trying to build solo careers 鈥� challenges that have received renewed attention in the wake of on Wednesday.
One Direction was after the teens auditioned separately for TV talent show 鈥淭he X-Factor鈥� in 2010. They didn鈥檛 win, instead coming third in a final watched by 17 million people in the U.K., a quarter of the population. But they were signed by Cowell and had the first of several No. 1 hits with the now-pop classic 鈥淲hat Makes You Beautiful鈥� in 2012.
British radio host Kevin Hughes called them 鈥渙ne of the biggest selling U.K. bands since The Beatles, a huge global export and one of the biggest selling pop acts of the 21st century.鈥�
One Direction鈥檚 appeal rested partly on the members鈥� cheerful, cheeky ordinariness. The said when he directed a documentary about One Direction in 2013 that 鈥減art of the reason they鈥檝e been so incredibly successful with their fans is that they are so incredibly grounded and normal.鈥�
After five studio albums and 70 million records sold, One Direction announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016. All the members embarked on solo careers, with varying degrees of success.
LIAM PAYNE
after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina, became one of the main songwriters on One Direction鈥檚 albums. His first solo single, 鈥淪trip that Down,鈥� a power pop track featuring rapper Quavo, was a Top 10 hit in Britain in 2017. 鈥淔or You,鈥� performed with Rita Ora, was a U.K. hit in 2018.
笔补测苍别鈥檚 was released in 2019, but didn鈥檛 make the U.S. Top 100.
Payne had a son, now 7, with the former 鈥淕irls Aloud鈥� singer Cheryl 鈥� an 鈥淴 Factor鈥� judge during One Direction's season.
He was open about struggling with his mental health amid the pressures of fame. He spent time in rehab for alcoholism and in hospital with what he said were kidney problems.
After a period of silence, Payne returned with a new single, 鈥淭eardrops,鈥� in March, saying in a statement that it 鈥渕arks the start of a new beginning.鈥� The song failed to chart and a second album was reportedly put on hold before his death.
ZAYN MALIK
Malik precipitated One Direction鈥檚 demise saying he wanted 鈥渢o be a normal 22-year-old鈥� for a while.
His first solo single, 鈥淧illowtalk,鈥� was released early in 2016 and topped the charts in both the U.S. and Britain. A duet with Taylor Swift, 鈥淚 Don鈥檛 Wanna Live Forever,鈥� was a hit late the same year.
Malik has released the solo albums 鈥淢ind of Mine鈥� in 2016, 鈥淚carus Falls鈥� in 2018, 鈥淣obody is Listening鈥� in 2021 and 鈥淩oom Under the Stairs鈥� this year. The most recent adds a country sound to the R&B-pop on which he鈥檚 built his career.
Malik, who has spoken of struggles with anxiety and anorexia, with his on-off partner, model Gigi Hadid. In 2021, he was sentenced to 90 days鈥� probation after to harassing Hadid and her mother during an argument at the family home in Pennsylvania.
NIALL HORAN
of One Direction released his first single, 鈥淭his Town,鈥� in 2016, and the following year. Showcasing Horan鈥檚 talent for tuneful pop, it topped Billboard鈥檚 album chart.
A second album, 鈥淗eartbreak Weather,鈥� came out in 2020 and a third, 鈥淭he Show,鈥� was released in 2023, accompanied by a world tour this year 鈥� including a concert in Buenos Aires earlier this month attended by Payne.
Horan has also served as a coach on TV talent series 鈥淭he Voice鈥� in the U.S.
LOUIS TOMLINSON
Tomlinson made his solo debut with the single 鈥淛ust Hold On鈥� in 2016. Several more singles followed before was released in 2020. It was a Top 10 hit in the U.S. and the U.K., as was his second album, 鈥淔aith in the Future,鈥� released in late 2022. Tomlinson released a live album, 鈥淟ive,鈥� in 2024.
In 2018, he appeared as a judge on 鈥淭he X Factor,鈥� the show that made him famous.
Tomlinson's other great love is soccer. He briefly played for his home town team, Doncaster Rovers, and he has been involved with the Soccer Aid charity fundraiser for UNICEF.
He has with ex-girlfriend Briana Jungwirth.
HARRY STYLES
Musician, actor and style icon, is easily the biggest solo star spawned by One Direction.
He released his first single, 鈥淪ign of the Times,鈥� later than the others, in 2017, but soon made up for lost time. His topped the album charts in the U.S., Britain and several other countries, while the second, 鈥淔ine Line,鈥� appeared in 2019 and included the Grammy-winning 鈥淲atermelon Sugar.鈥�
His third album, 2022's 鈥淗arry鈥檚 House,鈥� topped British and U.S. charts, at the Grammys and the Brit Awards, and was nominated for the cred-heavy Mercury Prize. The single 鈥淎s it Was鈥� became his biggest hit yet, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for 15 weeks.
Styles鈥� profile has been raised by a playful, adventurous fashion sense that includes a fondness for 1970s-inspired three-piece suits and bellbottomed jumpsuits.
As an actor, Styles appeared as a World War II soldier in Christopher Nolan鈥檚 鈥淒unkirk鈥� before starring alongside Florence Pugh in Olivia Wilde鈥檚 dystopian thriller 鈥淒on鈥檛 Worry Darling.鈥� It premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, where Styles鈥� red-carpet appearance drew throng of fans and the approving appraisal of fashionistas. He also starred in period romance 鈥淢y Policeman,鈥� which premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
