Rise to Fame
The first audition in 2009 was a rejection. He came back a year later, made it to bootcamp, and got cut from the solo Boys category before Nicole Scherzinger suggested grouping him with four other rejected contestants. One Direction finished third on The X Factor but walked out with a Simon Cowell record deal and a fanbase that kept growing long after the show ended. They reportedly sold over 70 million records. He's said he was 'mortified' when the band went on hiatus in 2016, which is a rare admission from someone who spent years insisting the split was just a break.
In the Spotlight
Faith in the Future debuted at UK #1 in 2022, making him the fourth One Direction member to achieve a solo chart-topper. His third album, How Did I Get Here?, dropped in January 2026 with a world tour already underway. The grief runs parallel to all of it: his mother died from leukemia in 2016, his sister Felicite from an accidental overdose in 2019, and Liam Payne fell from a hotel balcony in Argentina in October 2024. He called Payne 'the most vital part of One Direction.' The fanbase camps for days outside venues. That kind of devotion keeps a career alive when charts alone wouldn't.
Side Notes
A minor role on Fat Friends as a child is where he first crossed paths with James Corden, which is either a footnote or a portent. He earned squad number 28 at Doncaster Rovers FC in the 2013-14 season after impressing in a charity match, and later named his streetwear brand '28' after it. During the Faith in the Future tour, he arranged a deal with Greggs to hand out free food to fans queuing outside venues. His son Freddie Reign, born 2016, grew up in California and developed an American accent. He's mentioned it, with the resigned tone of someone who's lost that particular battle.