What direction has One Direction gone in since its split?

It's hard to imagine 2010 was 12 years ago — when Tumblr was all the rage and everyone was obsessing over the new Apple product called the “iPad.” Although all of those things were significant to pop culture during that year, one of the most admired components of living in 2010 was the uprising of the "Directioners."

One Direction was one of the bands that young people were most obsessed with at the time with hits such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Live While We’re Young.” Starting off the group's careers on the X-Factor in the U.K., the five members instantly became famous once preteen girls set their eyes on the boyishly handsome troupe.

Of these teen heartthrobs, there's Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn, aka Zayn Malik. From the U.K. to the U.S., they became an international success with paparazzi and fans constantly following these once-normal teenage boys on their journey to stardom.

Despite One Direction being together for many years, in 2015, Zayn was the first to leave. Breaking the hearts of many, he split from the group due to pressure from the spotlight.

The rest of One Direction decided to stay together despite the departure of one of its most beloved members. But not too long after, in 2016, the entire group decided to go their separate ways and form their own solo careers.

Now in 2022, each member has changed significantly since their breakup six years ago. All of them have their own thriving careers, while some also have started family lives and have become fathers. So where are all the members now?

Harry Styles

Let’s start off with Styles, arguably the most famous and loved boy of One Direction. For nearly two years, Styles didn’t release any music, but instead was seen writing and recording songs in Jamaica.

In May 2017, “Harry Styles,” Styles’ self-titled album, was released — and it was a stark difference from his past pop music. Fans were introduced to a whole new side of Styles. 

A theme of rock dominated most songs in the album, and although it was different, the album was shockingly successful. One of his songs, “Sign of the Times,”  reached number one on the U.K. charts and number four in the U.S. Although the song was nearly 6-minutes long, fans couldn’t get enough of his unique music. Styles went on a tour for his new album along with country star Kacey Musgraves.

In 2019, he produced another award-winning album called “Fine Line.” Because they included his unique sense of style (pun intended) once again, his songs “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You” continued to top the charts, reaffirming to critics that Styles can really pull off any genre of song.

Along with his music, Styles has delved into the world of acting. In 2017, he made his film debut in “Dunkirk,” playing a British soldier during World War II. Additionally, this year Olivia Wilde’s 50s thriller, “Don’t Worry Darling,” will star Styles as well as Florence Pugh and Chris Pine.

Most recently, Styles has been linked with Wilde romantically as they've been photographed many times together — including Wilde showing off her dance moves at almost every one of his "Fine Line" concerts.

Zayn

Since Zayn's break from the group, he's released two solo albums. In 2016, he released “Mind of Mine” featuring one of his most famous solo songs, “PILLOWTALK,” and in 2018, he released the album "Icarus Falls."

Zayn has been dating model Gigi Hadid on and off since 2015, and they finally welcomed a baby girl together in the fall of 2020. Zayn and Gigi Hadid attempted to hide the pregnancy for privacy reasons, but ultimately gave in to the rumors and confessed to the news with just a few months left to go.

A year after the birth of their child, the couple parted ways due to a lawsuit between Zayn and Gigi Hadid’s mother, Yolanda Hadid. Both of the Hadids claimed that Zayn shoved Yolanda Hadid into a closet in a domestic dispute.

The details of this event are still somewhat a mystery, and the case is still ongoing. All we know is that Gigi Hadid and Zayn are no longer a couple and that it's caused friction in the family.

Niall Horan

Irish-born Horan, like Styles and Malik, has released two albums since his departure from One Direction. Like Styles' solo debut, his first solo album “Flicker” was released in 2017. 

In this album, “Slow Hands” hit the charts and was a radio station regular. Also during this time, Horan said goodbye to his iconic bleach-blonde hair and brought it back to his natural brown color.

Later, in 2020, Horan released his second album “Heartbreak Weather,” in which he wrote a majority about ex-girlfriend and actress Hailee Steinfeld.

Louis Tomlinson

Immediately after the split of One Direction, Tomlinson welcomed a baby boy to the world with his ex-girlfriend. Taking some time to work on being a father, he didn't release full albums, but did begin releasing singles such as "Back to You" and "Just Like You." In 2020, he finally released his first solo album titled “Walls.”

Not only did Tomlinson release music, but he also ventured back to the old days, starring as a judge on the X-Factor for one season. 

Sadly, Tomlinson has also lost many people close to him since he said goodbye to One Direction. In 2016, Johannah Deakin, Tomlinson's mother, died as a result of leukemia. In addition to Tomlinson's mother's death, his sister also died of an accidental overdose.

Liam Payne

Payne is the third and final band member to become a father. In 2017, Payne welcomed a baby boy with his ex, Cheryl, a singer who was a judge of his initial X-Factor audition.

In 2019, Payne’s much anticipated first album, LP1, came out. Although it didn’t do well in the charts, Payne did have huge success with his 2019 song “Strip That Down” featuring Quavo.

In 2020, Payne confirmed his engagement to model and infamous nepotism baby, Maya Henry. And despite the engagement once being called off, Henry and Payne are now back together — so it looks like Payne will be the first of the group to hear wedding bells in the near future.

While we all have beloved memories of One Direction's time together, there's no indication the boys ever plan to reunite. But if you're ever feeling nostalgic for the band's heyday and want to see what they're up to now, there are a multitude of new projects and life events to catch up on.