Ed Sheeran’s One Direction History Revisited After Liam Payne Death

Ed Sheeran has a whole lot of history with One Direction.

Sheeran first collaborated with the boy band — which originally included Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and the late Liam Payne — when he wrote a song called “Moments” for their 2011 debut album, Up All Night. He continued to provide his lyrical prowess on three more songs before the band announced their indefinite hiatus in 2015. (Malik was the first member to embark on a solo career, announcing his departure from the group before their fifth album, Made in the A.M., was released.)

“I’ve known Harry since I was 19 and he was 16. When we both started there was a guitarist called Chris Leonard we both knew who I wrote ‘Lego House’ and ‘Give Me Love’ with,” Sheeran recalled of his connection with Styles specifically during a 2023 appearance on the “Spout” podcast. “He used to play with the One Direction lads and me and Harry used to sleep at his house together.”

He reflected on their coinciding careers, noting, “‘What Makes You Beautiful’ went No. 1, [my album] ‘+’ went No. 1 the same day and we’re both staying at the house at that point. So now to be where we are, he’s on a stadium tour and I’m on a stadium tour, it’ quite weird looking back at the journey.”

Sheeran gushed over getting to be a small part of Styles’ “amazing” rise to stardom. “There’s something about going through your formative years, you know, it’s quite weird. Like, he’s obviously on top of the world right now and has gone from being in the biggest boy band in the world to then being the biggest solo artist in the world,” he said, noting that he felt “proud” of his friend’s success.

Sheeran stayed in the One Direction circle over the years, popping up to sing with Horan on multiple occasions. He reflected on his history with the band once again in October 2024 following Payne’s death at age 31.

“At a loss for words,” he wrote via Instagram alongside a black-and-white photo of Payne. “My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, every memory I have with him is a great one, just such a heartbreaking situation. Be kind.”

Scroll down for a look back at Sheeran’s ties to One Direction:

The Songwriting Credits

Sheeran contributed to four One Direction songs ahead of their hiatus: “Moments,” “Little Things,” “Over Again,” which he originally wrote for himself before they made their way onto One Direction’s first two albums, and “18,” which was featured on 2014’s Four. “Little Things” reached No. 1 worldwide, becoming Sheeran’s first major hit for another artist.

Touring Together

Sheeran joined One Direction at Madison Square Garden for the band’s first concert at the iconic New York City venue in December 2012.

The Potential Feud

Rumors surfaced in 2014 that Sheeran’s single “Don’t” was written about Ellie Goulding cheating on him with Horan. Feud speculation was fueled even further when Sheeran told MTV in 2015 that he was no longer writing for One Direction, saying that the band didn’t “need as much help anymore.”

Goulding told Elle in 2015 that she “was never in a relationship” with Sheeran but did “go on a few dates” with Horan. She later revealed to the Daily Mail in 2023 that the cheating accusations caused “trauma.”

Sheeran, meanwhile, told GQ in 2014 that he was disappointed by the public speculation around the song. “I don’t want it to be remembered because there was a news story about it. I want it to be remembered because it’s a good tune,” he said.

Staying In Touch

Following One Direction’s hiatus, Sheeran still threw his support behind each of the boys’ careers. “When we catch up, we catch up. It’s like a conversation. It’s a chat,” he said on the “Spout” podcast in 2023, gushing that he was “super, super proud” of Styles for becoming the “biggest solo artist in the world.”

He previously teased that he’d “always wanted to be in a boy band,” joking on Capital Breakfast in 2021, “When Zayn left 1D, I was like, ‘I’m in.’”

Still Singing Their Songs

In August 2024, Horan gave fans at his Dublin concert “a little bit of nostalgia” by bringing his “good friend” Sheeran on stage for a duet of “Little Things.” Sharing a clip of their performance via Instagram, Horan wrote in the caption, “Thank you @teddysphotos for coming out to play with me tonight in Dublin. Another great memory.”

One year later, Sheeran was spotted doing his best One Direction impression while singing “What Makes You Beautiful” at karaoke in Nashville.