Harry Styles and Zayn Malik rose to fame as members of hit boy band ‘One Direction’, before pursuing solo careers. But who’s more popular?
Both Harry Styles and Zayn Malik are hugely popular music artists who’ve achieved success in their joint and solo careers. According to YouGov ratings, however, Harry Styles ranks as the 201st most popular pop music artist whilst Zayn Malik is the 235th most popular – thus, Harry Styles is thought to be the most popular out of the two.
Read on to learn more about the former boy band members when it comes to popularity.
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Social Media
To establish the popularity of Zayn and Harry, this contest has to take a deep dive into the social media statistics of the two singers.
On Instagram, Harry Styles has 30.4 million followers, whilst Zayn just beats him with a massive 34.8 million followers. Neither of the stars post heavily on this platform, but they ramp up their posting to promote new material.
As for Twitter, both Harry and Zayn made it onto Brandwatch’s ‘50 Most Influential People on Twitter in 2019’ list, but Harry came in just ahead of Zayn in 23rd place, whilst Zayn was in 25th.
In terms of their followers, Harry also comes in just ahead of Zayn, with 35.2 million followers compared to his 29.2 million. It seems that Harry takes the Twitter popularity crown.
YouTube, however, is a different story and is most definitely where Zayn comes into his own. He has 11.5 million subscribers to his YouTube channel, which dwarfs Harry Styles’ 7.25 million, though it’s still a very respectable number. The theme continues with their channel views.
There’s some variation in social media popularity, depending on the platform, but Zayn might just inch ahead of Harry.
Solo Commercial Success
When the ‘One Direction’ members went their separate ways, it allowed them to pursue their solo careers. Both Zayn and Harry took advantage of the available opportunities.
They’ve both released two studio albums since beginning their solo careers, which have been very successful.
Harry Styles released his first self-titled studio album in 2017, followed by his second album ‘Fine Line’ in 2019. ‘Fine Line’ debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart which is a clear indication of its commercial success, whilst both albums have achieved Platinum awards from the RIAA.
As for Zayn, his first album ‘Mind of Mine’ and its hit single ‘Pillowtalk’ both debuted at number one in the US and the UK. His second album ‘Icarus Falls’, didn’t reach quite the same level of success, but ‘Mind of Mine’ does have a Platinum award from the RIAA.
Though their music is very different, both singers have been successful, although it’s clear that Harry’s second album performed better than Zayn’s commercially.
Who Takes the Crown?
When it comes down to the ratings it’s clear who comes out on top. According to YouGov ratings, which are influenced by the attitudes of consumers, Harry Styles is the 201st most popular music artist and has a 27% positive opinion rating.
Zayn Malik doesn’t quite measure up and comes in as the 235th most popular music artist, with a 20% positive opinion rating. What’s more, 76% of people have heard of Zayn Malik and 92% of people have heard of Harry Styles.
This shows that more people are definitely aware of Harry Styles, which has had a direct impact on his higher popularity. When it comes to fans, however, the stars’ social media followings might suggest that Zayn is equally popular.
Growing up in the spotlight is no easy feat, but both Zayn and Harry have managed to leverage the fame they gained from ‘One Direction’ to ensure their continued success.
Reminisce about the days when the boys were still together by watching the music video for their song ‘That’s What Makes You Beautiful’ in the YouTube video below.
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