One Direction Then & Now: Photos
One Direction is a popular British music group put together by the British version of ‘The X Factor’ in 2010. Check out some of their best then and now pics here.
July 23, 2024, marks the 14th anniversary of One Direction’s formation on The X Factor UK. Each member of the boy band—Harry Styles,Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik—originally auditioned for the singing competition as solo artists but were eliminated. However, Simon Cowell saw potential in them and brought them back to perform as a group. Although they finished in third place that season in 2010, the rest is history.
Their catchy songs, like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Drag Me Down,” and “Story of My Life,” became instant hits. The band went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 after releasing Made in the A.M., following Zayn’s departure in 2015. Since then, they have thrived as solo artists, actors, and even fathers, in the cases of Liam, Zayn, and Louis.
In 2024, the band faced major devastation when former member Liam Payne died at the age of 31 in Argentina on October 16 after falling from the third floor of his hotel room. Just days before his death, he had attended a concert to see Niall perform during his tour stop in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Take a look back at the One Direction guys at the beginning of their career compared to now in this gallery.