After declaring their hiatus back in 2015, the world’s biggest boy band, One Direction, have been working in their own solo projects. While Directioners have been holding on to the promise that One Direction would reunite after a year, (which turned into eighteen months), it seems that it’ll take a while longer for them to get back together, or that a reunion may not happen at all. However, while many Directioners remain hopeful that they will in fact reunite and, gift the world with many more albums, here are their solo debuts, rated.
1. Zayn Malik, “Pillowtalk”
And the Oscar for Best Actor goes to Zayn Malik, for pretending to be happy in One Direction over the course of five years! As you may know, Zayn Malik left One Direction on March 25, 2015 to be a “normal 22 year old,” shortly after leaving the band he announced his solo debut and talked badly about his bandmates. However, this particular song has quite a mature sound and is far from the music One Direction put out. The video is quite artsy and features Malik’s current girlfriend and model, Gigi Hadid. The rhythm of the song is catchy, but it is certainly not my type of music, so 7/10.
2. Niall Horan, “This Town”
Niall’s debut single dropped September 29, 2016 and did really well on the charts internationally. This single is the closest to One Direction’s sound and is a beautiful song about regret and what someone never said to their S.O. This song is a soft ballad, and seems very authentic to Niall’s character, he clearly seems to know what he wants his music to sound like. The video seems very organic and authentic, definitely not over produced and it was shot in one take with one mic. Though fans are still waiting for more songs from Niall, we know that he is taking this long because he wants to stay true through his music and not rush the artistic process, but can we have more music from him already!
This song is one of my absolute favorites and most relatable out of all the singles enlisted, so 10/10.
3. Louis Tomlinson, “Just Hold On” feat. Steve Aoki
Louis’ solo debut was first performed at The X Factor UK at the end of last year accompanied by DJ Steve Aoki, and was dedicated to his late mother who passed away after a tough battle with leukemia. His performance was from the heart and so is this song. It is all about pushing through the tough times and keep going, no matter what to just hold on. The video features Aoki, but Louis is not in it. It follows a couple transported to Las Vegas, their journey and has nothing to do with the lyrics. The song is powerful and uplifting, so 9/10.
4. Harry Styles, “Sign Of The Times”
This solo debut is the one farthest from the One Direction style so far. Harry’s solo, which debuted April 7, was the most buzzed-about out of the five former One Direction members and it did not disappoint. He has spoken about his desire to have a music reminiscent of the 70s british rock genre, he has even been called the new Bowie (I don’t necessarily agree with that). However, his voice is angelical and deep, his talent shines through and will definitely leave you speechless. The music is genious, and the lyrics, which he stated is from a woman’s point of view and she just gave birth, will leave you thinking about Harry for the rest of the day. It is definitely not my style of music but it has a certain quality that the song just gets stuck in your head and that’s not just because of his magical voice, so 10/10.