Once upon a time, a little band called One Direction dominated the world. With four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including “What Makes You Beautiful” (No. 4) and “Best Song Ever” (No. 2), the X Factor-born boy band captured the hearts and ears of millions of fans worldwide.
Comprised of Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, One Direction marked a new age for internet fandom and a new era for boy bands. As the most successful vocal group of the 2010s, One Direction’s impact is still felt. 2020 marked the group’s ten-year anniversary and tweets from Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall recognizing the milestone reached over 1 million likes each. Since the release of the group’s final album in 2015, each One Direction member has gone on to release a solo studio album and earn at least one top 40 hit on the Hot 100. Both Harry (“Watermelon Sugar” and “As It Was”) and Zayn (“Pillowtalk”) claimed chart-toppers, while Louis topped out at No. 40 with “Back To You” (with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals). Moreover, Niall’s “Slow Hands” (No. 11) and Liam’s Quavo-assisted “Strip That Down” (No. 10) visited the chart’s top 20.
The years following One Direction’s hiatus have featured their fair share of friction. Liam Payne, in particular, has repeatedly made headlines for controversial revelations about his relationships with his former bandmates. Moreover, Zayn, after exiting the group in March of 2015, revealed his discomfort during his time in the group across multiple interviews. Nonetheless, all five of the One Direction boys have continued to show love to each other as they move through their post-1D careers.
Whether they’re extending congratulations for Grammy wins or attending each other’s concerts, here are 11 ways the One Direction lads have supported each other since their hiatus.