I rewatched One Direction’s X Factor auditions and literally none of them can sing

2010 was the golden year for the X Factor and nothing will ever top it. It was the series of Wagner, Cher Lloyd and of course One Direction.

Aside from thinking I was going to marry one of them when watching the show, I also thought they were decent singers and would definitely have loved a serenade from them. However I hate to break it to you, but when they first started out on X Factor, their singing was very, very bad.

They were out of tune, couldn’t hit the high notes and occasionally sounded like cats being strangled. I’m sorry, I hate to crush your teenage dreams but after rewatching the One Direction first auditions I can no longer defend their talents.

However despite this they’ve gone on to become the biggest boyband ever, had insanely impressive solo careers, bagged heaps of money and gone out with Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Cheryl Cole. So all things considered, not too bad.

I went in search of their first audition videos on YouTube and wow was I shocked to hear those first few notes. Liam and Harry’s performances were passable at best but the rest you definitely wouldn’t want to hear again. It’s odd watching their average performances knowing the global stars they later became, because watching it back, you wouldn’t think any of them would make it past bootcamp.

These are the boys from One Direction’s first auditions ranked in order from passable, to I never want to hear them sing again:

Best: Liam Payne

Song choice: Cry Me A River

It pains me to say this, given how cringe his lyrics are, but Liam Payne probably has the best One Direction first audition. It definitely helps that this was his technically his second audition so he knew what he was doing.

But his audition is by no means perfect, he’s just the best out of a bad bunch. He had a good song choice, managed to hit all the big notes, even if he does have a weird American accent at the beginning.

However his wet look jeans and combat boots were not a vibe.

Harry Styles

Song choice: Isn’t She Lovely

Everyone’s favourite, no wonder Harry had a pretty good first round. In his audition he was radiating fit vibes talking about working in a bakery, wanting to study law and being in a band.

His song choice of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” was a decent shout and I think we all wish he was singing it to us. Minus points for the thin scarf though.

Zayn Malik

Song choice: Let Me Love You

What we see of Zayn’s first audition is pretty short and you know what, thank god. He performs Mario’s “Let Me Love You” and it’s incredibly average and I will never understand how this man ends up with Gigi Hadid.

Niall Horan

Song choice: So Sick

Now Niall is the sweet unproblematic fave of One Direction but in his first audition he was fairly cocky, comparing himself to Justin Bieber: “I’ve been compared to Justin Bieber a few times and it’s not a bad comparison”.

However Simon and Cheryl were absolutely savage to him. Simon says he is “unprepared”, “came with the wrong song” and he’s “not as good as he thinks he is”. And as Cheryl simply says “songs too big for you babe”.

And yet they still put him through?

Worst: Louis Tomlinson

Song choice: Hey There Delilah

Louis Tomlinson easily has the worst of One Direction’s first auditions. Honestly how did he get put through after the first round? He sounds like a cat being strangled. Also the song choice of “Hey There Delilah” is just such a mellow vibe and does not pack the punch you need for an audition.

Although apparently it does work, along with the Justin Bieber hair cut to get you into one of the most successful boy bands in history, so hey, what do I know?

Related stories recommended by this writer:

•This is how much all the One Direction boys are worth now, from most to least minted

•Every salty thing Zayn ever did that proved he hated being in One Direction

•We asked ex-Directioners the lamest thing they did when obsessed with 1D