From One Direction to Superstar: The Timeline of Harry Styles' Success

Harry Styles achieved worldwide success at just 16-years old after appearing on the British reality show, The X-Factor. Since then, Styles has achieved massive success on his own and set to be known forever as one of the greatest pop artists to ever exist.

Since separating from the British boy band, One Direction, the sky seems to not be high enough for Styles. He has gone on to release three successful albums, star in Hollywood movies, and become a fashion icon. Join us in taking a look at where it all started for him and guess what is next for this continuously growing star.

Born in 1994 to a working class family

Styles was born on February 1, 1994 to parents Anne and Des, with his stepdad Robin later coming into the picture. Styles grew up with an older sister, Gemma, in the town of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, England - about 21 miles from Manchester. Prior to his singing career, Styles worked in a local bakery.

Auditioning for 'The X-Factor' and the forming of One Direction

Styles auditioned as a soloist for the British reality competition show, The X-Factor, as a 16-year old. He impressed the judges with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and made it through to the Boot Camp segment of the show. However, he failed to continue impressing as a soloist and was eliminated from competition - something that happened to four other teenage boys.

The X-Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger recognized that Styles might fare better in a group setting, which was a sentiment shared by the other judges. They felt the same about fellow teen competitors Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan. The boys were called back to the show and formed into a group, later to be known to the world as One Direction. The group ultimately finished in third place and lost the competition, but losing The X-Factor was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Achieving worldwide success as a member of One Direction

In August 2011, One Direction released their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful." The single debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed in that spot for 78 straight weeks. The band even crossed the pond and ultimately reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

The group's success seemed unprecedented as they went on to achieve massive success, winning over 200 awards and achieving four #1 albums along with several #1 singles. The as a five-piece group, they released four studio albums; Up All Night, Take Me Home, Midnight Memories, and Four. They even released a documentary film in 2013 titled One Direction: This Is Us.

Similar to American boy band that came before them, the fame that surrounded Styles and his bandmates was intense - complete with being followed in cars, having fans sleep outside of hotels, finding their families, and all of the things that come with teenage obsession. What made this version of a boy band more intense is that One Direction was the first boy band to be fully accessible by the internet.

One Direction unexpectedly goes on indefinite hiatus

In March 2015, while the band was still explosively famous, Zayn Malik made the decision to leave the group to pursue a solo career. What was initially a claim that he wanted privacy and to "step back from fame," it later came out that Malik had been offered a contract by RCA Records.

The remaining members decided to carry on as a four-piece and released the album Made in the A.M. The album reached #1 on the UK album charts, but it wasn't enough to keep the momentum going. In December 2015, the band announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus.

Releasing a solo album and making the entrance into Hollywood

In April 2017, Styles released his first solo single "Sign of the Times," which came after he signed a solo deal with Columbia Records. The single went on to reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. The single would go on to win a BMI Pop Award, a Brit Award for Video of the Year, an iHeartRadio Music Award, and it was placed on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list at #428.

After releasing the single, Styles' self-titled solo album debuted and showed fans a deeper voiced, soft-rock side of him that One Direction fans had not seen yet. He went on to release two more singles from the album, "Kiwi" and "Two Ghosts" along with a 50-minute documentary titled Harry Styles: Behind the Album.

That same year, Styles made his feature film debut with the WWII-era film, Dunkirk, directed by Christopher Nolan. Styles was paid $3.4 million to play a British soldier named Alex, who ultimately wound up being the most talkative character with over 20 lines in about 6-minutes of screentime. Styles' performance was well received and it served as just the beginning for his presence in Hollywood.

First ever solo tour and second solo album

Styles ventured onto his first tour as a solo artist in 2018, appropriately named Harry Styles: Live on Tour. This tour started with small venues and quickly turned into arenas, with him performing almost 90 concerts worldwide by the time the tour wrapped. He also proved his versatility and talent by collaborating with famed artists, such as Fleetwood Mac.

In October 2019, Styles released his first single, "Lights Up," from his sophomore solo album Fine Line. The single debuted at #3 on the UK Singles Chart and was praised for its unique musical direction and combination of pop and R&B. The single was quickly followed by "Adore You" which peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #7 on the UK Singles Chart. He also began exploring his more creative side with accompanying music videos for the singles he was releasing. From the album's release until late 2021, Styles would go on to release five more singles from Fine Line including "Falling," "Watermelon Sugar," "Golden," "Treat People with Kindness," and "Fine Line." The music video for "Watermelon Sugar" alone tallied over 7 million views in just one day.

Fine Line debuted at #1 in the UK and it was ranked by Rolling Stone Magazine at #491 for the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020.

Walking further into Hollywood while making music history

Styles didn't stop with releasing Fine Line and he continued to delve into acting. Following the positive feedback from his role in Dunkirk, he was cast in the psychological thriller, Don't Worry Darling, alongside Florence Pugh. The film was directed by Olivia Wilde, who he ultimately entered a romantic relationship with. The film was completed in 2021 and released in September 2022 to fair reviews, but nothing spectacular.

That same year, Styles starred in the LGBTQ+ film, My Policeman, which was based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Bethan Roberts. The film was inspired by the real-life relationship between E.M. Forster and Bob Buckingham. Also completed in 2021, the film first premiered in September 2022 at the Toronto Film Festival and received mixed reviews.

From boy band to Grammy winner

In March 2021, Styles attended the 63rd Grammy Awards and kicked off the ceremony by performing his hit single, "Watermelon Sugar." He would later receive his first ever Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance for "Watermelon Sugar." As of 2024, Styles remains to be the only member of One Direction to win a Grammy Award.

That same year, Styles took home his second BRIT Award by winning British Single for "Watermelon Sugar." When taking the stage, Styles told the crowd that he was "continually baffled by moments like this," and expressed how grateful he was to be able to do his job. He also recognized the audience for their perseverance through the continued COVID-19 pandemic.

'Love on Tour,' headlining festivals, and 'Harry's House'

Styles touring schedule was unfortunately disrupted due to COVID-19, with dates being postponed or canceled altogether in support of Fine Line. The Love on Tour show officially kicked off in September 2021 in the United States, with 42 shows in 34 cities. Prior to the expansion of the tour, Styles made the trip to Indio, California and headlined the Coachella Music Festival in April 2022 where he performed with Shania Twain and Lizzo. It was at Coachella that he performed his Fine Line hits, along with new singles "As It Was," "Boyfriends," and "Late Night Talking."

In May 2022, Styles released his third solo album, Harry's House. Mostly recorded during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the album was praised as being his most introspective album yet. It combined 1970s era Japanese pop with synth-pop, new wave, and funk sound. It debuted at the best first week sales of Styles' career, debuting at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and #1 on the US Billboard 200. It also debuted at #1 in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and more. Along with the singles debuted at Coachella, he would ultimately go on to release "Music for a Sushi Restaurant," "Satellite," and "Matilda." Harry's House was also listed at #491 by Rolling Stone Magazine for the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list - putting each of his solo albums on the list.

In June 2022, Styles brought the show to Europe and South America, along with additional dates in the United States. Harry's House went on to win awards such as MTV Video Music Awards, Juno Awards, Swiss Music Awards, LOS40 Music Awards, and ARIA Music Awards.

More awards and Album of the Year

In January 2023, Styles was nominated for four total BRIT Awards - Mastercard Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Pop and R&B Act. Along with the nominations, he was announced as a performer for the ceremony.

The following month, Styles picked up two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for Harry's House. Styles even beat out artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Adele, and the highly favorited Beyoncé for Album of the Year. He would also go on to win all four nominated categories at the BRIT Awards. In his acceptance speech, he thanked his family, his friends, and his former One Direction bandmates:

"Thank you again. I'm going to start by thanking my family for being the most supportive, understanding, patient, loving family I could have ever asked for. I want to thank my mom for signing me up for The X-Factor without telling me, so I literally wouldn't be here without you.

I want to thank Niall, Louis, Liam, and Zayn, thank you so much. I'm really grateful and I'm very aware of my privilege up here tonight, so this award is for Rina, Charlie, Florence, Mabel, and Becky. Thank you so much."

Gucci, wrapping up 'Love on Tour,' and looking towards the future

In November 2022, Styles collaborated with Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to release the men's fashion line "Gucci HA HA HA." The collaboration was featured for Gucci's 2023 Men's Spring catalog and is still available as of late 2024.

After all was said and done, Styles carried Love on Tour until late-July 2023. He was even commemorated by Madison Square Garden in New York City for selling out all 15 shows at the venue. He became just the third musician to have a banner raised at MSG alongside Phish and Billy Joel. The final performance of the tour was in Reggio Emilia, Italy and was commemorated with a tribute video posted to Styles' Instagram account. He accompanied the tribute with the caption:

"To the most inspiring people I know. Goodbye for now. Love on Tour forever."

Styles continued to perform post-Grammys win when he took the stage alongside Stevie Nicks for the BST Hyde Park performance in July 2024. He performed during the set to celebrate Fleetwood Mac, as well as honor the late Christine McVie. He performed a stunning duet of "Landslide" with Nicks that was widely well received and praised.

Styles is set to headline the Glastonbury Festival in June 2025, along with rumors of a full world tour in support of Harry's House and perhaps even new music. With the loss of his fellow One Direction bandmate, Liam Payne, there is really no telling what 2025 holds for Harry Styles. Zayn Malik already postponed concert dates to grieve, but the sky doesn't seem to be high enough for Styles regardless of what is going on around him. We can only wonder what he will do next...

What is your favorite Harry Styles album or song? Let us know in the comments!