A year ago One Direction was a different band than they are today. Zayn Malik was still in the band, Louis Tomlinson hadn’t impregnated a girl, but we can always count on Harry Styles to have a messy man-bun. A year ago Justin Bieber was hiding under a rock after a slew of scandals and arrests. Right now, he’s dominating the charts with the catchy (and surprisingly good) singles “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?” while doing talk show appearances and even a whole week of guest-hosting on “Ellen.”
Although each making headlines, 1D and JB are on completely different paths of their careers. Bieber just released tour dates for the U.S. and Canada which will start this month and go until next July while One Direction just finished a world tour and will go on a planned hiatus starting in March.
The
heartthrobs each released new albums on Friday, November 13. One Direction’s
fifth studio is called “Made in the A.M.” with 17 songs and this is Bieber’s
fifth studio album as well (not including his acoustic, remix, and holiday
albums), “Purpose” with 18 songs. According
to Billboard, both albums “are vying for the top slot on the Billboard 200
albums chart dated December 5.”
Also according to Billboard, “One Direction is the only group to debut at No. 1 with their first four albums” and “‘Purpose’ could mark Bieber’s sixth No. 1 album, and would become his fifth straight chart-topping arrival.”
One Direction’s songs aren’t
about jumping up and down anymore and Bieber’s songs are no longer reminiscent of
Alvin & the Chipmunks. Both One Direction and Bieber have matured and truly
grown in terms of lyrics, sound, and style of music.
This is the
first album released by One Direction post-Zayn, who left in March, and the
group still has a loyal following. The band doesn’t sound different without
Malik and still topped the charts this summer with the first single as a
four-man group “Drag Me Down.”
The singles “History” and “Perfect” were also
released earlier this month. Of One
Direction’s five albums, the two newest (“FOUR,” released 2014) truly define
the band the British and Irish lads want to be. I haven't listened to JB since the days of "My World 2.0" so I'm not sure when or how he changed his sound but I'm glad he did.
I'm more of a One Direction fan now but I will admit to being a Biebler back when JB was at his peek and even saw him in concert in 2010. I just saw 1D in concert in September and the only reason I stopped listening to their new album was so I could give "Purpose" a chance. Even if I haven't listened to Bieber in a while, he has truly grown into himself and his music, just as One Direction has.
1D standout tracks: “Hey Angel,” “End of the Day,” “Olivia,”
“History,” “I Want to Write You a Song”
JB standout tracks: “Love Yourself,” "Purpose," "I'll Show You" "Trust"