Opinion | RIP Liam Payne, you and One Direction were an inescapable part of my life
Ginny Wong recalls the impact the boy band had on her and her friends, and the shock at hearing of Liam Payne’s death
Whether you liked them or not, there is no denying that for a generation of people in the early- to mid-2010s, One Direction were inescapable, their music in bars, shopping centres, on television and on the radio.
What was not to like? They were a five-piece group of inoffensive, charmingly cheerful boys, who sang about what makes you beautiful and how everybody wants to steal their girl because she is just THAT awesome.
You might not have listened to them, but on what basis could you claim to “hate” them?
I was at university and maybe just outside the target demographic, so I have never really thought of myself as a true fan – whatever that is. I did not have any 1D merch, never bought a single or an album, did not go to any concerts and did not feel one way or another when they went on hiatus in 2016.
But I did hear about it. A lot. Friends of mine were devastated. Their love lives made headlines – think Harry Styles and television presenter Caroline Flack, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, Zayn Malik and Little Mix group member Perrie Edwards, Liam Payne and UK singer Cheryl Tweedy (better known as Cheryl Cole).