There are many pathways to success as a solo artist, but a common one is to start out as the member of a band. Frank Sinatra was the ‘boy singer’ with Harry James & His Orchestra back in the Big Band days. Paul McCartney started in The Beatles, and actually all the Beatles had successful solo careers. Beyoncé started in the group Destiny’s Child, Justin Timberlake came from N*SYNC. Harry Styles, our subject this month, started out in the ‘boy band’ One Direction.
One Direction was created by, and first appeared on, the British version of the television show X Factor, ironically coming in third. From this launching pad they had five best-selling albums, won awards including Brit Awards, Billboard Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, American Music Awards, and many others (but interestingly not a GRAMMY) and sold over 70 million albums. They had many hit singles and some of the highest-grossing tours of all time, but ultimately they decided to split up to pursue solo careers.
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