Even if these are my favourite artists and I hold a lot of love for all of them, I would like to preface this by saying that regardless of me being a fan of theirs, I will always hold them accountable for their actions and do not condone their silence regarding any humanitarian issue, especially the genocide in Palestine. Considering how information about it is so widespread, being silent is unacceptable.

That being said, let’s get this started!

I honestly don’t know how I lived before I was a proper fan of Harry. His music is such an integral part of my life now that it is really hard to remember what it was like when it wasn´t. Back when One Direction was in full swing, I was what might be considered a casual fan (that is not the case now; the obsession has done nothing but grow): I knew all of the members by name, I would listen to their songs with my best friend, we would scream the lyrics without really understanding what they meant, but I didn’t really keep up with their lives or their music releases; no thoughts just vibes. Then they went their separate ways, and Harry became a happy childhood memory along with the band.

At the beginning of 2020, shortly after he released Fine Line, I started to listen to his solo music. My best friend had already tried to get me to listen to and like his debut single, ‘Sign of the Times’, when it was released in 2017. I, however, was too young and uncultured to understand the masterpiece it was, and I didn’t pay it any mind. You can imagine my disappointment in my younger self when I finally listened to his first two albums and realised I had been sleeping on such works of art. From then on he has been my absolute favourite artist and my love for him and his music has only grown. His music almost single handedly got me through the pandemic, his interviews would bring me immeasurable comfort when I was feeling down, and many of his songs helped me calm down at night so I could sleep.

I owe Harry so much, and I´ll be eternally grateful for the safe spaces he has provided for his fans. I have never felt as safe and as free as I have while attending his concerts with thousands of strangers, or in the solitude of my own room listening to his albums on repeat. I really wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him.

Harry was not the only member of One Direction that has stolen my heart forever, and in all honesty, Louis was actually the first to do so. Back when the band was still together, I was a Louis girl through and through. I would excitedly wait for his solos in their songs, I would pay extra attention when he was the focus of their music videos, and I loved his energy. Similarly to what happened with Harry, I didn’t really keep up with him after they announced their hiatus and only listened to a couple of his singles sporadically when he first released them.

I started seriously listening to him in 2019 when he performed at the CocaCola Music Festival in Madrid, Spain. A couple of my childhood friends urged my sister and me to go with them to the festival (they were big fans of him back then), and we agreed. Whenever we would hang out before the date, they would play his singles (his debut album wasn’t even out yet), and they made sure we were ready before his performance. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it and I haven’t stopped listening to him since then.

It was also around the time of the festival that I found out he had lost his mother to cancer, and as someone who has also gone through a similar experience, his music helped me when I needed it the most. Louis has definitely been a pillar of support for me, and all I can hope for while being a fan of his is that I can reciprocate that support.

I´m pretty sure my experience is not unique when I say I first listened to Hozier in 2014 when he released ‘Take Me To Church’, and I´m also sure I´m not the only one who was obsessed with the song from that point on. However, his debut single would continue to be the only song I really knew of him until 2019. In hindsight, that year was the one I truly started to explore my preferences in music, and as a teenager discovering more than just her musical taste, I fell down the unavoidable Hozier rabbit hole, which manifested in me listening to ‘Cherry Wine’ every night religiously before bed. Surprisingly, I did stop listening to him as much for a couple of years after finishing high school, only turning on some of his songs occasionally.

It was last year in 2023 that I would consider I became an actual fan. During the summer, I impulsively bought a ticket for his show in Amsterdam (mind you, I had not moved yet and had no real plan to do so) before I even listened to his new album because I knew I could not miss the opportunity to see him live. And then I did manage to move to Amsterdam in October, which meant I had less than two months to prepare for the concert and listen to his new album. When I eventually did, I definitely regretted not doing so earlier. I loved every single song, and to this day, I continue to listen to it on a daily basis. His music is truly incredible, and when I had the privilege to see him play live, it was truly heavenly. It was one of the best experiences of my life. The music, the atmosphere, the fans all harmonizing together… absolutely incredible. I have already planned to see him two more times this year and don’t regret a single cent spent on him, he truly is that special.

The first time I heard about Lizzy McAlpine was about 2 years ago when one of my favourite YouTubers mentioned her in one of her videos because she had recently attended one of her concerts. She later filmed a TikTok with a snippet of one of her songs, and I promised myself I would listen to her music (which inevitably meant I thought about it for weeks but never actually did). Things changed months later when I saw a devastatingly sad TikTok edit of the movie My Policeman that used her song ‘Ceilings’, and it was then and there that I fell in love. I immediately saved the edit and listened to the entire song, which made me fall in love even harder, and I ended up listening to it every day on repeat for weeks. I eventually listened to more of her songs and realised that ‘Ceilings’ was not a one-hit wonder for me and I really loved her other music as well. I haven’t stopped listening to Lizzy since then and I´m still in awe of her ability to infuse her music with such palpable emotion.

She is a wonderful artist, and I hope I get the opportunity to see her live one day.

It must seem like I´m lacking originality because here comes another One Direction member, but they are that great, what can I say? In Niall’s case, it did take me a little more time to become a fan. I did know some of his songs and enjoyed them but I didn’t really become a full-blown fan until a couple of years ago. I have always loved his personality and charisma, so it was really easy to become a more active fan once I started seriously listening to his music.

It’s not only his talent as a musician that pulls you in, it is also the way he communicates with the fandom (his hilarious TikTok videos, and his lives in which he openly chats with fans). Being a Niall fan is so rewarding and so fun.

I will be seeing him live for the first time this month and I couldn´t be more excited. From all the videos from previous concerts and all the festivals he did last year, it is obvious that he’s an incredible performer, and I definitely can´t wait to experience one of his concerts.

If you found me ranting about my favourite artists interesting, here’s some of my favourite songs from each of them in case you haven’t listened to them yet and want to give them a chance:

Harry Styles: ‘Fine Line’ from Fine Line, ‘Little Freak’ & ‘Daydreaming’ from Harry´s House

Louis Tomlinson: ‘Chicago’ & ‘All This Time’ from Faith In The Future, ‘Only the Brave’ fromWalls

Hozier: ‘Cherry Wine’ from Hozier, ‘First Light’ from Unreal Unearth, ‘Would That I’ fromWasteland, Baby!

Lizzy McAlpine: ‘Ceilings’, ‘Doomsday’ & ‘Hate To Be Lame (featuring Finneas)’ from Five Seconds Flat

Niall Horan: ‘Still’ from Heartbreak Weather, ‘Must Be Love’ & ‘You Could Start A Cult’ from The Show