Twenty-five years of talent shows on reality TV have demonstrated that success on these platforms doesn’t always lock in lasting fame. Most of the time, the fame is ephemeral and limited to the country where the show was produced. This could have been predicted for One Direction, a band hastily assembled by Simon Cowell in a mere ten minutes. They were assembled from solo competitors who didn’t make it past the boot camp round on the 2010 UK X Factor, despite Liam Payne, one of the band members, once considered a potential winner with his audition piece, Cry Me A River. One suspected that One Direction’s second place finish in the X Factor series was the end of the road for the group as boy bands weren’t in trend at the time.
However, One Direction defied these predictions and turned out to be one of the iconic pop groups of their time, selling 70 million records. They also made history on the United States Billboard chart as the first band to have their first four albums debut at number one. Their charm, talent, and good looks contributed to their success, but their signifying factor was the additional effort put into their singles from the outset. Their first song, What Makes You Beautiful, stood out with its catchy tune, positive message for their female fans, and was based more on upbeat powerpop than the usual boy band strategy of ballads or pop-R&B, which Payne indicated caught them by surprise in a good way.
Although unlikely to feature in the rock-centric Kerrang! magazine, the group’s music had a noticeable rocky edge, as demonstrated by their 2012 single, Live While We’re Young, which opened with an apparent nod to The Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go?, unexpected for a talent show band. This was presumably a delight for Payne, a fan of the nu-metal band Linkin Park, who regards their 2001 single, In The End, as one of his favourite songs.
The experiences of an Airbnb host included two sisters requesting help from Bord Gáis emergency services due to an excessively hot radiator. Another remark was the loneliness felt in one’s 40s as a parent, often finding friendship amongst other parents who may not necessarily be their preferred social circle. Meanwhile, a Dane living in Dublin provided a contrasting perspective on attitudes towards death, finding Dublin’s response warmer and less taboo than in Denmark.
In relation to music, Payne and his team effectively transformed the boyband concept, distancing it from groups like Westlife and Boyzone, known for appealing more to parents. Their approach was more youth-oriented. One Direction, unlike preceding bands, seemed to convey more personality and boldness, with Payne singing female parts in a high falsetto during live covers of Wheatus’s Teenage Dirtbag. They also seemed to have a greater influence on their musical career. Payne showed a strong inclination towards songwriting, collaborating closely with bandmate Louis Tomlinson, resulting in co-writing credits on all One Direction albums, including eight of the 12 tracks on 2014’s Four, where he wrote the leading single, Steal My Girl.
Despite the magnitude of their success, they could not avoid the typical fate of boybands which was triggered by a member’s departure. After Zayn Malik left, the band tried to continue with Payne taking on Malik’s high vocals on stage, but they announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Post-split, Payne wasn’t clear about his next steps. He experimented with producing house tracks, earning a lukewarm response from the critical dance press. Contemplating full-time songwriting, he also managed to attract high-profile collaborators for his solo career, including Quavo of Migos, Pharrell Williams, J Balvin, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Ed Sheeran, and Fred Again.
He battled his personal issues and alcoholism. His first album, LP1, entered the music scene with either lacklustre or unfavourable critiques, and failed to create any commercial success. The release was delayed three years following the break-up of One Direction, where the built-up excitement had eventually faded. He was in talks regarding a second album that would allow him more artistic leeway but, tragically, he never had the opportunity to bring it to light nor to rekindle his musical relationship with his former One Direction members in a union that was once thought to be certain. – Guardian