In the last few days, I’ve seen countless essays and think pieces following the death of Liam Payne, even by yours truly. Many explore the complicated nature of parasocial grief and how conflicting it feels to mourn someone who you don’t truly know. I have shared these struggles over the past few days as someone whose entire youth revolved around Liam and One Direction.
However, I have also taken the chance to reflect on how beautiful of a time it was to participate in the worldwide phenomenon that was One Direction. Rather than mulling over the tragedy of Liam’s passing, I would rather use this opportunity to dissect the gigantic cultural firework that One Direction became and celebrate the iconic legacy that Liam and the others have left behind.
I acknowledge that I tend to romanticise this time in my life, but that was the beauty of loving One Direction. In hindsight, the amount of content they were made to put out within such a small time frame is nothing short of concerning but ten-year-old me was eating it up. Many do not realise how quickly One Direction fell from grace, at least in the public’s eyes - they were active as a group for just under five years. Within that time they released five studio albums and partook in three worldwide tours. Yet they’ve managed to be, in my opinion, the most successful boy band in the entire world.
The 'Where We Are' world tour was the largest-grossing concert tour of 2014.
I am very fond of comparing One Direction’s trajectory to The Beatles. Before you start pelting me with stones, let me present my evidence. For starters, the hysteric fan girl you picture when I say the word ‘Directioner’ wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the pioneers of ‘Beatlemania’ in the 70s. Yes, 1D may not have the same ‘professional’ accolades, but I’m not expecting lines like “We’re like na na na, then we’re like yeah yeah yeah,” to score any Grammy noms. That doesn’t mean they were hopeless! They were the first band to have their first four albums debut at number one on Billboard, hold the highest-grossing tour by a vocal group in history, and have become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time with over 70 million records sold. Oh, and they also won 28 Kids Choice Awards (The real professional accolade). The numbers speak for themselves, folks.
I’d also argue that FOUR is 1D’s The White Album, but I’ll stop there before the music snobs come after me.
A significant portion of the band’s success was solely caused by the fans. One Direction exploded with the rise of social media, creating the perfect storm of teen frenzy and cute boys, resulting in the first major worldwide fandom that operated both in-person and online. Even at the ripe age of nine, I was creating my first Instagram account, @zaynmalik4eva, to keep up with the happenings of 1D (I’m a Niall girl now, FYI.) This meant One Direction was everywhere, the radio, your Tumblr feed, even on singing toothbrushes. Fan or not, you cannot deny the international impact they forced the world to endure for half a decade.
Many may disregard these passionate fans as crazed young girls with nothing better to do - a stereotype rooted in misogyny, but that’s another discussion. Instead, I still regard Directioners as the one thing (haha) sustaining the band’s legacy. Growing up and navigating girlhood with this band’s soundtrack in our ears has created an intrinsic bond between thousands of young women all around the planet, and that is the only thing keeping me sane through all this devastation. Seeing everyone posting pictures of their younger selves plastered in 1D merch signifying the little girl inside of us all mourning Liam has provided me a sense of camaraderie I’ve never felt before.
Fans have shown up in droves to mourn the loss of band member Liam Payne, with tributes worldwide.
Naturally, I have felt extremely cynical and melancholic about anything surrounding this band. Seeing the band’s joint statement with all four signatures at the bottom but Liam’s broke me. In fact, writing this article has finally convinced me to listen to their music again. But, it's hard to remain so stoic when I, and so many others, have such fond memories connected to this band, with so, so many of them rooted in our childhoods. This grief is confusing and has also left me wondering if the amount of time, money and resources I’ve spent on these five men was all for nothing with such a forced ending to their story, one that came far too early. But I can’t be filled with regret when I see what a loving community they have fostered. A community that has managed to stay so close-knit, it's almost unbelievable, even with so many of us now having graduated, married, and even having babies.
One Direction is held in such high regard for good reason, and no matter what has transpired, Liam Payne played a significant role in the band’s success. He’ll always be the curly mop-headed sixteen-year-old I once loved in my mind. Now is as good a time as ever to revisit their discography, or even give it a first listen. Whilst not the most profound thing in the pop world, their catalogue is a large part of their legacy and integral in keeping Liam’s memory alive. Despite all that they and their fans have endured, I have never been prouder to have taken part in One Direction’s global domination, as it has left me with a lifetime of fondness and sisterhood that can go through the unthinkable and come out scathed, but stronger than ever.
Rest in peace, Liam Payne.
Patricia is a third-year Media Arts student who spends too much time customising her posters on Letterboxd. You can find her constructing intricate playlists for her comfort characters and attending every single concert she physically can.
