Today marks 10 years since Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson formed the world-famous boyband One Direction on The X Factor.
During their time together, One Direction released five albums, went on four world tours, and starred in their own movie – before announcing an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2015.
‘Directioners’ around the world are marking the band’s 10-year anniversary today by reliving some of their best moments using the #10YearsOfOneDirection.
Since their split, fans have supported the stars as they endeavoured on their separate musical careers – while remaining hopeful that they would one day reunite.
So to mark the band’s anniversary – let’s take a look at what Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn and Louis have been up to since since they parted ways.
Harry Styles
Harry was just 16-year-old when he joined One Direction, and immediately oozed the charm and charisma needed to become a great performer.
After One Direction went on hiatus in 2016, Harry released his self-titled debut album in 2017, which topped the charts internationally.
Opening up about the inspiration behind the album, Harry told The Rolling Stone: “The one subject that hits the hardest is love, whether it’s platonic, romantic, loving it, gaining it, losing it … it always hits you hardest.”
“I don’t want to hear my favourite artists talk about all the amazing shit they get to do. I want to hear, ‘How did you feel when you were alone in that hotel room, because you chose to be alone?’”
After his first album debuted, Harry embarked on the Harry Styles: Live On Tour world tour – and was due to embark on his second solo world tour this year, before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
His second solo album, Fine Line, was released in December last year, and became his second consecutive number-one album in the US.
Aside from his music career, Harry branched out into the world of acting – making his acting debut in the 2017 critically acclaimed film Dunkirk.
Thanks to his success, the 26-year-old landed in second place on The Sunday Times Rich List of British musicians under 30 this year, with an estimated net worth of £63 million.
Harry’s most recent endeavour saw him team up with meditation app Calm – sending fans into a frenzy as he read them a bedtime story.
Niall Horan
Mullingar native Niall Horan said before his X Factor audition: “I want to sell out arenas and make an album and work with some of the best artists in the world.”
After succeeding to do just that with One Direction, Niall’s solo career has been equally as impressive.
In 2016, the Irish star dropped his first single This Town – which climbed the charts peaking at number 9 in the UK Singles Chart.
Following This Town, Niall released his debut album Flicker in 2017, which reached number one in both Ireland and the US.
His second album Heartbreak Weather was released earlier this year, and was met was positive reviews.
The 26-year-old was due to go on his second world tour this year, but again the COVD-19 pandemic had other plans for the star – forcing him to cancel his Nice To Meet Ya tour.
“I look forward to being able to bring new music and a new tour to all of my fans around the world in 2021,” he shared at the time of the announcement.
Niall came just behind his former bandmate Harry on this year’s under 30s rich list, landing in third place with a fortune of €67.7 million.
Liam Payne
A lot has changed for Liam Payne since One Direction went on hiatus in 2016.
After dating former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole in 2016, the couple became first-time parents to a son named Bear in 2017.
The following year, Liam split from Cheryl, and the former couple continue to co-parent their now three-year-old son.
After focusing on his family, Liam then followed in his bandmates footsteps by releasing his debut track as a solo artist in 2017.
Strip That Down featuring Migos rapper Quavo was written by fellow artist Ed Sheeran, and reached the top 10 in Ireland, the UK and the US.
Liam previously told Billboard: “To be honest with you, I wasn’t going to do a solo venture. I was just going to go into songwriting and carry on and do that.”
“But then I was like, ‘You’ve been trying to do this since you were 14 years old. You would be ridiculously stupid to turn down the option to have a deal.’ Coming out of the band, we had some pretty good opportunities around us. I had to do something.”
Liam confirmed his relationship with 19-year-old model Maya Henry last year, after meeting at a One Direction meet and greet in 2015.
In an Instagram post, Liam thanked his girlfriend “for always keeping the biggest smile on my face through all the stress and making me realise how perfect my life really is.”
Zayn Malik
Prior to One Direction’s official hiatus, Zayn Malik dramatically quit the band in 2015 – and said he wanted “some private time out of the spotlight”.
One year later, Zayn released his first solo single Pillowtalk, which became a worldwide smash – making Zayn the first British male artist to debut at number one in both the UK and US.
His debut album Mind Of Mine featured special appearances by Taylor Swift in ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ and Sia in ‘Dusk Till Dawn’.
Zayn’s second studio album in 2018, Icarus Falls, failed to reach the same success as his debut – peaking at 77 in the UK album charts and 61 in the US.
The singer has been in an on-off relationship with supermodel Gigi Hadid since 2015, and the couple are now expecting their first child together.
Louis Tomlinson
Just like his former bandmates, Louis launched his own solo career after One Direction went on hiatus in 2016.
The Doncaster native released his debut single Just Hold On in December 2016, just days after his mother Johannah died following a battle with leukemia.
Two years later, tragedy struck again when Louis’ 18-year-old sister Felicité died following an accidental drug overdose last year.
The 28-year-old described the tragic losses as “rock bottom”, and turned to songwriting to help him grieve.
His debut studio album Walls was released in January this year, and his first solo world tour has been rescheduled until next summer.
Louis also became a father to a son named Freddie in 2016, following a brief romance with Briana Jungwirth in 2015.
He also acted as a judge on The X Factor in 2018.
