We all know the late great boy band, One Direction. I, personally, miss this band every single day of my life.
It's been almost 2 years since the band went on their hiatus and all of them have officially signed solo deals and have at least one song out by themselves, if not a full length album. So as an avid fan, I decided to rank these guys' solo careers.
(Disclaimer: I love all of them and basically can do no wrong so my analyses will most likely be biased. I will try to be as impartial as possible.)
5. Louis Tomlinson
There's probably no surprise to anyone that Louis would be at the bottom of this ranking. (You can judge for yourself with his X-Factor audition) He debuted himself as a solo artist with Steve Aoki in the song "Just Hold On." It was indeed catchy, but there was nothing original about it.
The song he did with Bebe Rexha, "Back to You," also had some potential. It was a bit of a slow jam with the beat. He kind of ruined it with his newest single, "Just Like You" in the sense of lyrics because it's just all so unoriginal. He goes from "Night out and it's ten grand//headlines that I can't stand" to "I'm just like you//Even though my problems look nothing like yours do."
Newsflash: don't say you're just like us and IMMEDIATELY say that our problems don't compare, like spending 10 grand on a night out and getting bad press because that's definitely a normal person thing. And it's definitely not as much as a bop as you would want it to be.
Don't get me wrong, I was a Louis girl for the longest time and I love him with all my heart. Him in the video diaries will forever and always be iconic.
But I'm just not impressed with solo Louis.
Rating: 4/10
4. Liam Payne
Okay lowkey Liam is my least favorite in the band, but he's definitely producing some bops as a solo artist. (Maybe since Ed Sheeran helped him on Strip that Down? Just me?) He's doing great things with his falsetto in his latest single,"Bedroom Floor." Initially, I don't like his songs. But I like it enough to keep listening, then I discover they really are bops. Is it him just wearing me down? I don't know, but I'm curious to see what else he comes out with.
Rating: 6/10
3. Zayn Malik
After his confusing and dramatic exit from the band back in March 2015, he ended up going officially solo when he released Mind of Mine EXACTLY A YEAR AFTER HE LEFT THE BAND (sorry guys, I'm still salty). I really enjoyed that he got to do the type of music he was intended to sing: the darker side of pop/almost crossing into R&B, like Frank Ocean or The Weeknd. But as an all-around album, it isn't all there for me. There are some good ones on there, don't get me wrong. But I think I want some more diversity in his sound. He did explore some different sounds with his collab with Taylor Swift for Fifty Shades Darker "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" and his latest single, "Dusk Till Dawn" with Sia. So I'm definitely curious to see what will be on his next album.
Rating: 7/10
2. Niall Horan
So Niall just came out with his debut album Flicker just a little less than a month ago, and it's everything you would expect a solo Niall would do. And that's why I think Niall got the number 2 spot in this ranking. He did a wonderful job with the album, but there's no "wow" factor with it.
The 3 extra songs on his deluxe version of the album are to DIE for, and I would highly recommend listening to those if you haven't already. ("On My Own," "Mirrors," and "The Tide.") But I already have my tickets to go see him on tour and I can't wait. He definitely did some good with his solo career.
Rating: 9/10
1. Harry Styles
Harry got the top spot because he just kind of surprised everyone with his solo sound. He's got a little bit of everything on his album: sweet lovely guitar melodies with soft vocals, like in "Sweet Creature," or more of a rock sound like in "Only Angel" or "Kiwi." I also had worries about him supporting himself as a solo artist on stage, since all he does is fall over on stage and doesn't play any instruments when in the band, but he fixed that problem by learning guitar and just dancing around on stage, being himself. Also he is KILLING me with all of his Gucci floral suits.
His fall-off-the-face-of-the-Earth phase of his solo career definitely did him some good since his album is all him and you can definitely hear it. His only mess up would be his weird flying thing going on in his "Sign of the Times" music video. But other than that, you're doing great sweetie.
Oh, and he definitely improved his acting skills since iCarly because he impressed me with his Dunkirk performance.
Rating: 10/10
All in all, I'm really digging seeing my babies killing the game as soloists, but it's still upsetting not seeing them all together. I say we should have a reunion video diary series, but that's just me.
