Best Pop Singers of 21st Century (No. 22)

With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to a close, Billboard is spending the next few months counting down our staff picks for the 25 greatest pop stars of the last 25 years. We’ve already named our Honorable Mentions and our No. 25, No. 24 and No. 23 stars, and now we remember the century in One Direction — who helped to redefine pop music, pop stardom and pop fandom in their brief-but-dominant 2010s run, while also minting five future solo hitmakers (including one absolute superstar).

Piles of headshots were accumulating on a table in front of The X Factor judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh. Tasked with deciding which contestants would make it to the next round of the competition, the panel analyzed each photo – and as they sorted through the contestants, an idea started to form. “You can’t get rid of little stars, you know?” Scherzinger said. “So you put them all together.” And in a twist of fate, five journeys that were in peril merged paths to become One Direction.

As the boys spent more time together, their roles became clearer: Liam Payne, with his standout audition, would be the leader; Louis Tomlinson’s charm would make him the lovable prankster; Niall Horan, the humble boy from Ireland would be the down-to-earth sweetheart; Zayn Malik, reserved with undeniably striking looks, would be the mysterious one; and Harry Styles, with his curly locks, dimples and wide smile, would be the heartthrob. Together, they were 1D, and they would take over the world.

One Direction’s ascent to global stardom proved that the boy band archetype could still thrive in the 21st century, albeit in a new and distinctly modern way. In just five years, 1D released five albums that brought up-tempo British pop-rock to the States and laid the foundation for today’s international pop groups. A new online community, “stan Twitter,” rallied around the group, and their superfans, called “Directioners,” helped their idols achieve astronomical mainstream success, changing fan-to-fan communication and fan-to-artist relationships forever.

Back in 2011, One Direction won the hearts of The X Factor’s U.K. audience with a mix of pop covers ranging from Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” to Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” – and even though they didn’t win the competition, they won something bigger: an already-devout fan following, and a contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco Records. Cowell moved swiftly to capitalize on One Direction’s momentum, pairing the group with established hitmakers to churn out their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful.” Savan Kotecha, whose writing credits already included songs for Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Usher, penned the track, and perfected it with the help of fellow writer Carl Falk, who would go on to write for Ariana Grande, Jason Derulo and Madonna.

“What Makes You Beautiful” was a work of bubblegum pop perfection that popped the top 40 bubble. When the track was released in the U.K. and Ireland in September of 2011, pop was dominated by EDM, turbo-pop and Young Money-style hip-hop – but managed to break through the noise and rise to the top of the charts. The single was so commercially successful that it drummed up interest overseas – by the time One Direction’s debut album Up All Night was released in the U.K. and Ireland in November of 2011, #Bring1DtoUS was trending regularly on Twitter, with fans organizing their own marketing efforts to catch the group’s attention, including flash mobs and DIY music videos combining clips from fans from all over the country.

As soon as One Direction touched down on American soil, the quintet was breaking records and taking names. “What Makes You Beautiful” was digitally released on Valentine’s Day of 2012, debuting at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marking the biggest debut for a British act in over a decade. It peaked at No. 4 less than two months later, when Up All Night was released in the U.S. to a No. 1 bow on the Billboard 200, cementing 1D as the first U.K. group to score that achievement with a debut album. When One Direction made their first stateside TV appearance on the Today Show to promote the release of Up All Night, 15,000 fans showed up, comparable to audiences pulled by Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. 

Straddling the line of being child-friendly, brand-safe public figures and being young men in their late teens and early twenties was critical to One Direction’s success, as the lads were ubiquitous in what seemed like every way possible. The group was booked to open for Big Time Rush, a Nickelodeon-bred boy band that was taking off in the states, on their already sold-out tour – but their presence was so overwhelming that they overshadowed their headliner, and the Up All Night Tour sold out in venues across the U.S. soon after. 

One Direction had a je ne sais quois that set them apart from other boy bands. Unlike most of their predecessors, the five members didn’t follow choreography or dress alike, but they still possessed the same level of charisma – just in different packages. Their distinct personalities shined in interviews, video diaries and Twitter Q&As, and even more so when they interacted with one another. Watching five young men come together like brothers to live out their dreams was inspiring, and their camaraderie warmed the hearts of millions. The fans treasured the group’s relationships so deeply that they declared allegiance to every possible combination of inter-band dynamics, including “Narry,” “LiLo,” and “Ziam.”

Directioners wanted more – and they got what they wished for. A Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime commercial with NFL star Drew Brees aired, guest appearances on iCarly and SNL premiered on the same day in April, and the quintet took the stage at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. You couldn’t walk into a drugstore without encountering a One Direction toothbrush or turn on the radio without hearing “What Makes You Beautiful” – it was Beatlemania for the 2010s, powered by fans who were online 24/7, 365 days a year and watching their every move – literally, sometimes going as far as hacking security cameras in elevators and airports just to catch a glimpse of their favorite band. 

The release of One Direction’s sophomore album Take Me Home ushered in a new era: The set also debuted atop the Billboard 200, making One Direction the first group to best the Billboard 200 with their first two albums since American girl group Danity Kane, and the group became the first boy band in U.S. chart history to land two No. 1 albums in a calendar year. But the accolades were not as significant to the group as how the release helped them evolve their image. Each member had writing credits on this album, showing that they were involved artists who had control of the development of their music; and bolder, more blatantly suggestive lyrics on songs like “Live While We’re Young” and fan favorite “Rock Me” reminded their audience that despite their Radio Disney-friendly appeal, the members were all adults by then, ranging from 18 to 20 years old. While critics were not convinced that One Direction could shake its bubblegum pop sound, fans loved it, and the Take Me Home Tour was the band’s biggest yet, wrapped with an accompanying concert film.

With so much commercial success, nonstop touring and more, fans and critics alike began to wonder: how long can this all be sustained? Repeating the cycle of Take Me Home, One Direction released their third album Midnight Memories in November of 2013, earning their third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and highest debut on the Hot 100 (No. 2) with accompanying lead single “Best Song Ever.” The group was making what critics would finally admit was “great rock music” – but fans and outsiders alike could sense that they were tired; this was, after all, their third No. 1 album in just over a year and a half since their U.S. debut. Still, One Direction pushed forward with the Where We Are tour, playing stadiums two years into their careers – and packing them with 3.4 million fans, while also flipping said tour into a concert film. Everything 1D touched turned to gold.

At the tail end of the tour, One Direction announced their fourth LP, Four. Their aptly named fourth studio album rollout began with “Steal My Girl,” drawing praise and comparisons to Journey. This old-school rock and alt-folk inspiration was present throughout the record, and it made 1D’s music feel more elevated than prior releases. It felt like the group had collectively matured and improved, and the set notched the group’s fourth consecutive debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November of 2014, making them the first group in history to bow atop the chart with each of its first four albums. Its most critically acclaimed album was celebrated by fans – but what those fans didn’t know was that the LP would also mark the beginning of the end.

Commercial success kept 1D booked and busy, but it couldn’t make up for the toll it had taken on the group’s wellbeing. Shortly after the start of the On The Road Again tour, Malik left for home in hopes of dealing with the stress; less than a week later, on March 25, his departure from the group was announced via Facebook. “I am leaving,” Malik shared, “because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight.” At that moment, millions of girls around the world had their hearts broken: not only did Malik’s imminent departure become permanent, but the future of the band officially came into question. The official One Direction account followed Malik’s statement, assuring fans that the remaining four members would continue on and release their fifth studio album, but the plans felt more daunting than reassuring.

The seismic shift caused by Malik’s departure crumbled the foundation that One Direction stood upon, and their final album, Made in the A.M., would ultimately be their swan song. Its lead single “Drag Me Down” was released in July, with an uncharacteristic lack of pre-promotion – and in August, a hiatus was announced for 2016. Made in the A.M. was released in November, and while it was not as commercially successful as their past work, it didn’t matter: It was what the fans needed so that they could say a proper goodbye. “Love You Goodbye,” “History” and the album’s final track “A.M.” memorialized five years of international superstardom and closed the door on a One Direction era for the last time. 

Freed from the obligations of being in a band, the members of One Direction explored solo ventures. They each released successful top 40 singles: Malik debuted first with “Pillowtalk,” soaring to the top of the Hot 100 in January of 2016 — higher even than 1D ever got as a quintet. Horan followed suit, releasing “This Town” in September with a No. 20 debut, and Tomlinson closed out the year by dropping “Just Hold On,” a collaboration with Steve Aoki, in December, which landed at No. 52. The remaining two members, Styles and Payne, made their solo debuts the year after: Styles’ first single “Sign of the Times” peaked at No. 4 in April of 2017, and Payne’s “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo dropped in May. Payne’s No. 10 debut with “Strip” hammered the final nail into the 1D coffin – and now that each member had their solo debut, the public would decide who would be the most successful outside of the group. 

By December 2019, four of the five former bandmates had released their debut album – all except Tomlinson, who would release his debut Walls in January 2020 – and Malik, Styles and Horan each notched No. 1 Billboard 200 debuts, showing similar promise across the group post-break up. But as Styles’ sophomore album Fine Line began to roll out, with singles like “Adore You” and “Watermelon Sugar” achieving increasingly higher levels of pop success, it was clear that his sustained stardom would be difficult for the other members to match. By the time Harry’s House was released in 2022, Styles was respected by Directioners, new fans and critics alike – so much, in fact, that Harry’s House won Album of the Year at the Grammys the following year. Still, despite Styles’ well-earned superstardom, he always pays tribute to his past, continuing to perform the song that started it all: “What Makes You Beautiful.”

One Direction’s legacy survives in both obvious and unexpected ways. The British pop invasion that the group led in the early 2010s amplified related acts like Ed Sheeran, The Wanted and Little Mix for all the world to hear, and helped bring rock-based pop music back to the mainstream – starting with 5 Seconds of Summer, the Australian band whose hitmaking career skyrocketed after opening for 1D on the Where We Are Tour. The quintet’s greatest contribution, though, was how it changed the blueprint for pop superstardom. While there is no exact formula for fame and success, the Directioners created and normalized a more intense version of “stan” culture than ever before: one that shows devotion through chronic online-ness and community building all day, every day, which has shaped entire industries like K-pop. And even though One Direction only lasted for five years as a group, the impact of its discography — ranging from enduring smashes to beloved deep cuts — continues to shape a generation of pop connoisseurs, and hold a particularly special place in the hearts of Millennials and Gen Z’ers everywhere.

Read more about the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century here and check back on Tuesday when our No. 21 artist is revealed!