During the height of One Direction’s popularity, Niall Horan was jealous of the other members of the group like Harry Styles and Zayn Malik.

After the members of One Direction were brought together while filming The X Factor, they took the music world by storm pretty much overnight. Since the members of One Direction went from anonymous to famous pretty much overnight, it is understandable that Harry Styles went to extremes to cope with the stress.

Before Zayn Malik joined One Direction, he reportedly was so nervous about his The X Factor audition that he almost skipped it. Given how scary being in the spotlight can be, it makes perfect sense that for Niall Horan the pressure he felt left him jealous of his groupmates.

Why Was Niall Horan Jealous Of His One Direction Bandmates?

Before most bands or groups that make it big become famous, they spend years honing their craft in relative anonymity. During that phase of their career, the members of the group or band can build the bonds that will hopefully get them through the pressures of success.

By the time One Direction became one of the most popular musical acts in the world, the members were still getting to know each other. Between the pressure they were under and not having long-lasting bonds, it is easy to see why there could have been a lot of One Direction in-fighting.

Another factor that the members of One Direction had going against them is that they didn’t choose each other. Since they were thrust together while competing on The X Factor, One Direction didn’t form because they had personalities that meshed together well.

Considering the way that One Direction came together, it seems like the group was always destined to implode. After all, without the bonds and complimentary personalities to help weather the storm, being thrust into a manipulative business like the music industry seems like a recipe for failure.

After they took the world by storm, Zayn Malik left One Direction and then the group went on a hiatus that easily could be permanent. Given the ultimate fate of One Direction, many headlines about the former group focus on scandals like feuds between the members.

While those stories are interesting, something Niall Horan revealed about his time with the group may be more fascinating. It arguably is far more interesting to learn what Horan was going through at the height of the group’s success since it is very revealing of what being in a boy band can be like.

In 2019, Horan spoke to The Telegraph about what becoming a solo star was like for him. During that interview, Horan revealed that during the early days of One Direction, he felt very jealous of some of his groupmates.

As anyone familiar with boy bands will likely already know, those groups tend to have certain members in the spotlight more. For NSYNC, it was Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez who sang the most and Backstreet Boys members Brian Littrell and Nick Carter were the lead members.

Similar to those two legendary boy bands, One Direction thrust some members in front of the others. When One Direction would release a single, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik could be heard singing the most.

When One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful” was recorded, Niall Horan didn’t even sing a single line solo. Instead, Horan solely sang during the part of the song where the group was harmonizing.

While there is no doubt that Horan was fortunate to become rich and famous, his role in One Direction started to get to him. As Horan explained to The Telegraph, mostly being in the background early on fed his feelings of jealousy.

“I was a couple [of places] down the ranks in terms of the best singer. It used to make me angry but, in hindsight, I was 17, so I was angry anyway!”

Fortunately for Horan, his mentality about One Direction and himself began to change as he became older. As he went on to explain in the interview, he was able to find more of a role for himself in the group as his skills and confidence grew.

“As I grew up, and went through puberty, the voice got better, the guitar-playing got better. And when the songwriting kicked in, I started to have a bigger role.”

While it is wonderful that Horan grew to believe in his ability to thrive in One Direction, things were thrown into upheaval once the group went on hiatus.

Did Niall Horan Think He Would Be A Solo Star?

When One Direction went their separate ways, it was heartbreaking for the group’s millions of fans all over the world. While there is no doubt that many of those fans would still love to see One Direction reunite today, they still have a lot to be thankful for.

When many bands or groups break up, that is the end of the ride for everyone involved. When it comes to One Direction, however, the members of the group have been able to enjoy a great deal of success as solo stars.

Fortunately for Niall Horan, he has gone on to release several successful songs since his time with One Direction ended. Most notably, Horan’s fans have grown to love his songs like “Slow Hands”, “This Town”, and “Nice To Meet Ya”.

In 2019, Horan co-hosted the show Sunrise as a guest. During that appearance, Horan revealed something that may shock many people. When Horan was writing and recording songs as a solo artist, he felt “worried” that he was going to flop without his former groupmates by his side.

“‘I spent all this time writing songs and I like them, my team likes them. But the minute you put them out there, you really don’t know what’s going to happen. And luckily enough, fingers crossed, touch wood if I could, it’s all going well and hopefully it still goes well.”