(MENAFN- Gulf Times) If Zayn Malik was first, who was last?
This may seem like the kind of brainteaser tackled by the team members from Round Britain Quiz on the BBC World Service. Most of those erudite ladies and gentlemen would probably have rather more difficulty answering the question than the average pop fan who would be well aware that Zayn Malik was the first One Direction star to release a solo recording while Liam Payne was the last.
Liam's highly successful debut single, Strip That Down, was issued last May. This was one month after Harry Styles released Sign of the Times, five months after Louis Tomlinson issued Just Hold On and eight months after Niall Horan released This Town. Zayn beat them all to the punch by releasing Pillowtalk in January, 2016.
There was a very good reason for 24-year-old Wolverhampton-born Liam's tardiness in recording his first single. He had not actually intended to become a solo artist.
'I'd co-written a good many songs for One Direction. I really enjoyed this and also creating dance remixes of our tracks. When we put the band on hold, I had no plans to record solo stuff. I just wanted to concentrate on songwriting, producing and remixing.
'But it occurred to me that I'd been trying to be a solo artist since I was 14. Remember, each member of One Direction was a solo artist when we auditioned for The X Factor. We only got put together as a group when we were on the show.
'There were really good opportunities offered to all of us when we came out of the band. I eventually thought I had to do something. It would have been ridiculously stupid to turn down the option to have a record deal.
Going solo gave Liam the chance to explore his love of hip hop and R & B music. He likened his own situation to that of Justin Timberlake and contemplated what the former ‘N Sync star might have released as his debut solo single had he left the group in 2017.
'That was the basic concept for Strip That Down. I co-wrote the song with Ed Sheeran. We discussed a bunch of things about life and the lyrics came together from this. We dealt with the themes of wealth, celebrity appeal and having career independence. The verses set a few things straight while the chorus is about stripping down the music, it doesn't always have to be loud.
Liam also invited Migos member Quavo to appear on the track as a guest artist.
'I just thought it would be good to have a rapper on the song. I love Migos so Quavo was the obvious choice. I thought it might take a while for him to make his contribution but he got into it straight away and we loved what he did. He was great to have on the team.
Considering the success of Strip That Down, it was surprising that Liam's next two singles did not fare so well.
Get Low was really Russian-German DJ / producer Zedd's single with Liam providing the vocals. But Bedroom Floor had actually been planned as Liam's first single and was regarded by many critics as a better song than Strip That Down. Although both singles sold pretty well and achieved solid chart positions, they didn't come close to matching the success of Liam's debut release.
It may be significant that Liam did not co-write either Get Low or Bedroom Floor. The same is true of his new single, For You, but this song has returned him to the upper reaches of the chart.
A duet with Rita Ora, For You is taken from the soundtrack of the forthcoming film, Fifty Shades Freed. Rita appears in the movie as Mia Grey, the role she previously played in the first two films of the trilogy.
'It was an opportunity I couldn't turn down. Rita is a wonderful singer. Zayn did a duet with Taylor Swift for the last Fifty Shades film so people have said I've continued the One Direction tradition by recording For You with Rita.
As much as the past year has provided Liam with career success, he will always remember it for the birth of his first child, Bear, with partner Cheryl Cole.
'I'd always fancied Cheryl. She was one of the judges when we were on X Factor. But I was a teenager and she was a married woman, ten years older than me and in the process of divorcing Ashley Cole.
'It's funny how things sometimes work out. Cheryl was going through her second divorce when we got together in 2016. It happened at the right time for both of us. She is an amazing person. Our son is awesome. We're a very happy family.
IN BRIEF
Sigrid
Sigrid has been named winner of the BBC Sound of 2018 poll.
The Norwegian singer, songwriter and musician beat Pale Waves, Khalid, IAMDDB and runner-up Rex Orange County in the survey of 173 music insiders plus a number of past Sound of... winners and nominees.
Youth was very much to the fore among the final five. No artist was older than 22. Nominees could not have had a UK top ten single or album and should not already be well known.
Although he did meet the criteria, Khalid could not have been nominated for a similar poll in his native America. His debut album, American Teen, reached number four on the Billboard 200 and earned Khalid a platinum disc. His work has also been recognised to such an extent that he has been nominated in five categories at the upcoming 2018 Grammy Awards.
Sigrid has received no such recognition. Aged 21, she is the second-youngest Sound of... winner. Adele was 19 when she won in 2008.
Sigrid's debut single, Sun, was released in 2013. It made no impression on the Norwegian chart. Neither did subsequent singles, Two Fish and Known You Forever.
It wasn't until early last year with the release of Don't Kill My Vibe that things began to change. The track drew positive reviews, reached number 28 in Norway and number 62 in Britain. For some reason, it proved most popular in Scotland where the song peaked at number 20.
Invitations to play at music festivals came on the back of Sigrid's success with Don't Kill My Vibe. Her performances did not translate into significantly increased record sales but obviously brought her to the attention of those who voted in the Sound of 2018 poll.
With just the occasional exception, Sound of... poll winners usually go on to enjoy a highly successful career. Sigrid's debut album should be released later this year.
The video for Don't Kill My Vibe can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzonQoON9eo
S Club 7 / Paul Cattermole
Do you remember S Club 7?
The group was put together in 1998 by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller. They starred in four series of situation comedies for children's television which followed the group's adventures around America and then in Spain.
Songs originally performed in the TV shows formed the basis for their music success. They recorded four highly successful albums but this paled in comparison to their singles sales which saw the group enjoy four UK chart-toppers and another five songs which hit number two. Their lowest-charting single still peaked at number five.
Paul Cattermole left S Club 7 in 2002. He was not replaced so the remaining six members dropped the 7 from their name. They made a feature film, Seeing Double, which was released in April, 2003. Despite denying rumours of the group splitting up, their impending demise was announced just ten days after the film premiere.
Since then, the S Club members have pursued careers in show business with varying degrees of success. There have been partial and complete group reunions for various projects. The latest of these is Jo O'Meara, Bradley McIntosh and Tina Barrett getting together as SC3. They released a single, Family last month and have plans for a world tour during 2018.
There is no accompanying video for Family but two poor audio quality fan-made videos of live performances can be found on YouTube.
Paul Cattermole is in the news for a different reason. S Club 7 received BRIT Awards for Best British Newcomer and Best British Single, the latter for Don't Stop Movin'. Having suffered a back injury while touring in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Paul has had difficulty finding work.
With bills to pay, he auctioned his Best British Newcomer BRIT Award on eBay. After it sold for 66,100 GBP, he is now auctioning his Best British Single BRIT. The bidding currently stands at 65,900 GBP with the auction ending on January 25.
Paul intends to use some of the proceeds to record an album of Motown covers.
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