Why Harry Styles Is the Most Famous One Direction Member

For someone who used to be in a boy band, Harry Styles does not make many public appearances. Even the "Behind the Scenes" videos for his music videos don't show much of his personalty. The "Golden" BTS video shows Harry talking only at the end, when he waves goodbye to fans gathered around the set. The rest of the video simply shows shots of the production, set to the song. No talking. No interviews or explanations. Just Harry running around.

The rest of his former bandmates don't hold back on personality in the public eye. Niall Horan hosts frequent Instagram Lives where he covers famous songs and interacts with his fans. Liam Payne recently released a collaboration with up-and-coming (if that) singer and Tik Toker Dixie D'amelio. For someone once part of the biggest act in the world, this collaboration seems like a step down for Liam. Unfortunately, Louie has stepped back from the spotlight due to several upheavals in his personal life. Zayn, the first to begin a solo career, has reentered the spotlight due to the baby he conceived with model and longtime girlfriend Gigi Hadid.

Real-life relationships fuel media speculation, which fuels record sales, which fuels media speculation, ad infinitum.

When Harry does say something, it carries more weight than his bandmates' antics. His celebrity status has increased exponentially since the end of One Direction. Firstly, this may be due to his relationship with Taylor Swift. They dated in 2013, and went on to write breakup songs about each other. Swift wrote "Style." Harry snuck the line "If you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about..." into "Perfect" with One Direction. "Two Ghosts" off of Harry's debut album also sparked speculation about its subject. With "Perfect" and "Two Ghosts," Harry capitalized on Swift's business model. Real-life relationships fuel media speculation, which fuels record sales, which fuels media speculation, ad infinitum. Although Harry maintains a measured persona, and his dating life never received the scrutiny of Swift's, he has still managed to cash in on this media loop. It is something his bandmates, who have far less personality, could never achieve.

Styles has managed to cash in on the allure of his personal life in other circumstances as well. In 2019, he guest-hosted The Late Late Show with guest Kendall Jenner, his ex. During "Spill Your Guts" Jenner asked him, "Which one of the songs on your first album are about me?" Harry ate the Cod Sperm instead of answering. On the other hand, when he asked Kendall to rank her siblings from best to worst parent, she didn't hesitate. If Harry has any lessons left to learn about using your personal life to fuel fame, he doesn't have to look any farther than that moment to find them.

The transition from breakout star to genuine celebrity and artist is a fine line indeed.

While hosting SNL, Harry made a joke about Zayn's early departure from One Direction. It was a short joke with wry delivery, but communicated several emotions: Harry has moved on from Zayn's betrayal, but had been salty about it once. Or was he ever mad? That's the pull of Harry Styles nowadays. The wide-eyed boy band sensation has turned into an enigmatic rock star. His private life is private, and his jokes allude to his famous past. He's forgotten he's famous in the present. But of course, his trademark buoyancy shines through. Even though his solo music is more introspective and experimental than One Direction's, he still makes upbeat tunes suited for radio. And of course, those gay fanfics will always exist on Tumblr. When his bandmates are finally forgotten, that is where they will live on. Meanwhile, Harry's sophomore album "Fine Line" was nominated for three Grammys. If there's anything we've learned from Harry, it's that the transition from breakout star to genuine celebrity and artist is a fine line indeed.