ONE DIRECTION’S SOLO CAREERS: WHO HAS THE ‘BEST SONG EVER’?
Does it ever drive you crazy just how fast a band changes? Since One Direction announced their hiatus in August 2015, all five guys (including Zayn, who left the group in March 2015) have released solo music. From Louis Tomlinson, whose new single Back to
HARRY STYLES
1D PERSONA: Fun & flirty CURRENT MO: Taking cues from rock legends LEVEL OF SOLO SUCCESS: Extraordinharry
Was this Angel’s solo success really much of a surprise? His album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, sounds like a mix of David Bowie and John Elton, and classic rock anthems like Sign of the Times display just what his voice can do. The singer will hit the road for his first tour without his One Direction bandmates this fall.
ZAYN MALIK
1D PERSONA: Suave & sexy CURRENT MO: Hanging with Taylor Swift’s crew LEVEL OF SOLO SUCCESS: Amazayn
Zayn opted for a totally different direction with his music. His 2016 album, Mind of Mine, which also debuted at No. 1 on the Bill
board 200 Albums chart, switched up his style a bit by incorporating R&B, but the shift hasn’t seemed to hurt his career. His new sound has made him popular with Taylor Swift’s crowd, too. Zayn recorded I Don’t
Wanna Live Forever with Swift earlier this year and is dating Gigi Hadid, who was in Swift’s Bad Blood music video and on a re
cent Vogue cover with Zayn.
LOUIS TOMLINSON
1D PERSONA: Stylish & sassy CURRENT MO: Finally finding his voice LEVEL OF SOLO SUCCESS: Fabulouis
It’s been a hard few months for Tomlinson, who lost his mother in December and said last month that some saw him as “forgettable” in One Direction. But he hasn’t let his challenges stop him from achieving solo success. (His first solo single, which he features on with Steve Aoki, debuted at No. 52 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.) His new single Back to You is out now, and we’re loving it. Forgettable? Not a chance.
LIAM PAYNE
1D PERSONA: Sweet & smiley CURRENT MO: Partying in the club
LEVEL OF SOLO SUCCESS: Brilliam Payne went for a club vibe with his new sound, collaborating on singles with Quavo and Zedd. Sadly, he seems to have embraced the hiatus. In his first solo song (which hit No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart), he sings, “You know I used to be in 1D / Now I’m out free / People want me for one thing / That’s not me.” Still, other lines reassure fans that he’s still the Payne we know and love: “I’m not changing the way that I used to be.”
NIALL HORAN
1D PERSONA: Irish & adorable CURRENT MO: Sticking to what he knows LEVEL OF SOLO SUCCESS: Phenomeniall
Irish singer Niall Horan seems content with staying in the same direction. Though he’s only released two singles so far (which both hit No. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart), both sound like they could appear on a One Direction album. This Town, an acoustic love ballad with a sweet, simple melody, sounds similar to 1D tracks like I Want to
Write You a Song, from the band’s last album pre-hiatus. Slow
Hands, with its stomp-clap start and catchy vibe, sounds similar to 1D’s Rock Me.