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Remember when One Direction released their last album with Zayn Malik?

MONews
7 Min Read

Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Fans didn’t know it, but One Direction released their last album as a five-member group in November 2014.

leaning toward the record 4 — A possible foreshadowing of things to come — harry styles, Liam Payne, louis tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik They released 12 albums (including four bonus tracks), which ultimately marked the end of an era for boy bands.

All members have lyric writing credits on the album, providing an opportunity to showcase a more mature sound. high energy x factor The songs are a thing of the past as the boys are now singing about real-life romances, some of which are more popular than others. Perhaps the most unforgettable song on the album is “Stockholm Syndrome.” Horan still performs the song despite the band members pursuing their own solo careers.

Take a look together us Let’s break down the success of the Four and how it changed things forever for One Direction fans.

What’s happening:

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Photo/WireImage

One Direction was formed in England in 2010. x factor Although they didn’t win the singing contest, the boys became a global phenomenon. their debut album, all night longwas released in 2011 with a string of pop hits, including “What Makes You Beautiful”.

When the second album came out, please take me homeThe boy band didn’t really start experimenting with their sound, but they did show some maturity with their costumes and dance moves that stayed true to their past. While “Live While We’re Young” was a huge pop hit on the album, the boys showed they could veer in a different direction (no pun intended) with songs like “Little Things.”

Louis Tomlinson is 'burdened' by One Direction split and 'up' for a reunion.

relevant: Everything One Direction Alums Said About Leaving the Band

Musical superstar. Pop boy band One Direction became one of the biggest groups of the 2010s after its five members – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik – met as contestants on the 2010 reality TV series The X Factor. The singers became Judge Simon Cowell’s group. […]

The group’s third album, midnight memoriesWhen it was released in 2013, it marked the biggest departure from the typical pop sound. With more rock influences and Horan playing guitar, One Direction proved to be more than just a boy band with the personal “Midnight Memories” and singing about women. The person wearing the ‘little black dress’.

But the biggest changes are: 4 Back in 2014, fans didn’t know this. The album era began with the song “Fireproof” as the first single. The album received mixed reviews with critics praising the group for finding their most mature sound. Things changed dramatically for One Direction in the months after Malik announced his departure from the group in March 2015.

The remaining four members continued to release one more album, Made in the morning In 2015, before the band went on an indefinite hiatus.

Why this was a big deal:

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Kevin Mazur/WireImage

At the time of launch, 4 Some fans argue that this is the best One Direction album, but that doesn’t seem to be a big deal. After Malik left the group, the meaning and meaning of the song became even more influential. At first, the title seemed unimportant. There was no need to stand out, as the fourth album was going to be just as successful as the last three.

Additionally, this album includes ‘You & I’, which contains notes that only Malik can play. No, seriously, after Malik left the band, Styles tried to get on stage and his face in that moment said it all.

Number 4 later took root in the One Direction fandom. Because some people speculated that the title was a hint about what would happen next within the group.

What people said:

It was previously revealed that One Direction fans consider Four to be the band’s best album ever. However, critics’ evaluations at the time of release were different. rolling stone He gave the album only 3 out of 5 stars, acknowledging that it “shows growth primarily through music.”

In a separate review billboard Calling the album an “awkward phase” for One Direction, they described their traditional pop and more mature songs as coming together. They also say that the group sings ballads and us I respectfully disagree.

What happened next:

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JM Enternational/Getty Images

Well, Malik left the band. A statement released on One Direction’s Facebook page in March 2015 changed the direction of the group forever. Styles, Tomlinson, Horan and Payne committed to staying together, but only had one more album left.

Analyzing the solo careers of One Direction men in numbers

relevant: Analyzing One Direction’s solo career by the numbers

Since One Direction broke up in 2016, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik have achieved varying degrees of success in the music industry. All five original members have embarked on solo careers, with Malik being the first to do so since abruptly leaving the boy band in March 2015. He subsequently signed a contract. […]

Their last performance as One Direction took place on December 31, 2015.

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Malik first embarked on a solo career and has since released four studio albums. Styles followed up with his solo debut song in 2017. He has since released three albums. Horan also launched a solo career with three records under his belt, while Tomlinson has released two albums.

Payne released one studio album in 2019 before his death in October 2024. The singer died at the age of 31 after falling from the balcony of an Argentine hotel. An inquest into his death ruled that his death was not a suicide.

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