Nicknamed 1D by their fans, they became a global phenomenon as they became the first group to have their first four albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Nicknamed the Directioners, their huge fan base earned the pop group more than 50 million records sold before the members parted ways to pursue solo careers. They were known for songs like “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Best Song Ever,” and “Story of My Life.”

Payne has previously spoken about the mental burden of fame.

“I don't think I have problems in the sense that you would naturally imagine if I'm walking down the street and everyone is stopping me,” he told Esquire Middle East in 2019. “I mean, it happens sometimes, but it happens,” mostly mentally, where you struggle with it. It’s about getting ready and always knowing that you could be photographed.”

Malik was the first to leave the band in 2015. The others followed suit.

Payne released his first solo album titled “LP1” in 2019. Last year he announced plans for a new album and tour, which were later postponed after Payne suffered a kidney infection.

In a video shared on YouTube in the summer of 2023, he had spoken openly about previous struggles with substance abuse and talked about being sober for six months.

“It’s good to be in this position,” he said at the time. “I definitely don’t need these things anymore. The party is over.”

He also thanked his former partner Cheryl Cole, with whom he had a seven-year-old son called Bear, for giving him the “freedom” and support to get well.

Last spring, Payne released the song “Teardrops.”

“When I make music, I always think about images as much as I think about sounds,” Payne said in a video recording the song. “The feelings that these chords and different things make me feel, each of these songs is a story from my life.”