And Louis Tomlinson drove his loyal fans wild as he returned to Instagram for the first time in four months on Saturday to upload arty black-and-white snaps.
The singer, 29, cut a low-key figure in tracksuit bottoms and a jacket as he smoked a cigarette and strummed his guitar.
His brunette locks were swept back beneath a New Era cap in the photos taken by film director, Charlie Lightening.
Fans soon swarmed the comments section to delight in his return to the site.
'Lou why so perfect?' one follower wrote while another loyal supporter penned: 'Okay everything's okay Everything's okay NO AHHHH LOUIS I LOVE YOU SO MUCH I'M SCREAMING YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL AHHHHHHH'. (sic)
A third user added: 'LOUIS OMG I'M SCREAMING,' while one comment stating: 'LOUIS,' amassed over 11k likes.
Louis appeared on The X Factor in 2010 where he failed to make it through to bootcamp as a solo performer, but instead, he joined the newly devised boyband, One Direction, following a suggestion from judge Nicole Scherzinger.
With new bandmates, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Niall Horan, One Direction made it through to the live shows before signing a £2million contract with Syco Records and finding chart-topping success.
However, the talent competition, X Factor, hasn't been without controversy.
On Thursday, two more former contestants from the show have reportedly spoken out about facing 'abuse' during and straight after their time on the X Factor.
According to The Sun, the singers came forward in the wake of several other stars including Jedward and Cher Lloyd blasting the ITV series, with a source saying that 'momentum is gathering' and others are 'finding confidence to tell their stories'.
In a week of shock allegations, fellow alum Rebecca Ferguson has also demanded a parliamentary inquiry into the music industry and called for greater regulation to protect artists from 'bullying' agents and managers.
A source said: 'There have long been rumours swirling about things involving NDAs and legal threats, but suddenly a few well-known faces are speaking out at once.
'It has given others the confidence to think about telling their stories too, and the momentum is gathering.
'Some of those who feel they were exploited and allege they were abused are extremely well known, but always feared speaking out could end their careers. That seems to be changing.'
An X Factor spokesperson said: 'Duty of care to our contestants is of the utmost importance to us. We take welfare very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that they are supported.'
The new accusations come just hours after Cher Lloyd accused bosses of taking advantage of her naivety and exploiting her.
Cher, who finished fourth in the 2010 edition of X Factor, claimed she was 'sold a dream' when appearing on the show at 17, before being exploited.
'Some of those who feel they were exploited and allege they were abused are extremely well known, but always feared speaking out could end their careers. That seems to be changing.'
An X Factor spokesperson said: 'Duty of care to our contestants is of the utmost importance to us. We take welfare very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that they are supported.'
The new accusations come just hours after Cher Lloyd accused bosses of taking advantage of her naivety and exploiting her.
Cher, who finished fourth in the 2010 edition of X Factor, claimed she was 'sold a dream' when appearing on the show at 17, before being exploited.
The singer, 34, who appeared on The X Factor in 2010, posted a lengthy statement on social media where she revealed she is due to meet Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden to discuss how musicians are treated by bosses.
In a fiery statement, Ms Ferguson hit out at 'powerful' agents, managers and other executives and called for an independent tribunal to hold them to account. The singer claims that this will protect artists and help change an 'archaic system'.
In a series of tweets, Ms Ferguson also claimed that she knew two women who had been raped and others who had been driven close to suicide by the industry.
She also accused unnamed executives of 'covering up sexual assault for your seedy friends' and 'grooming 17-year-old boys who are confused about their sexuality'.
The Liverpool-born star added: 'At one point in my career I collapsed three times in a day, I was unconscious. My head hit the floor. No ambulance was called. This is one of many stories. This is the reality of artist mistreatment, this is why I fight.'
Ms Ferguson previously hit out at the industry in 2018 when she claimed to have been bullied, threatened and racially abused by executives.
She added that she had been too worried to speak out before in fear of the welfare of her children - Lillie, 18, and Karl, 16 - but 'will not be silenced' any longer. Keeping the names of her alleged abusers anonymous, she said she was subjected to the 'absolute worst, systematic bullying' behind-the-scenes.
Ms Ferguson found fame as the runner-up of the seventh series of X Factor, losing out to Matt Cardle. She then signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records in the UK and later signed with Columbia Records in the US.
The Liverpool-born star added: 'At one point in my career I collapsed three times in a day, I was unconscious. My head hit the floor. No ambulance was called. This is one of many stories. This is the reality of artist mistreatment, this is why I fight.'
Ms Ferguson previously hit out at the industry in 2018 when she claimed to have been bullied, threatened and racially abused by executives.
She added that she had been too worried to speak out before in fear of the welfare of her children - Lillie, 18, and Karl, 16 - but 'will not be silenced' any longer. Keeping the names of her alleged abusers anonymous, she said she was subjected to the 'absolute worst, systematic bullying' behind-the-scenes.
Ms Ferguson found fame as the runner-up of the seventh series of X Factor, losing out to Matt Cardle. She then signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records in the UK and later signed with Columbia Records in the US.
The Liverpool-born star added: 'At one point in my career I collapsed three times in a day, I was unconscious. My head hit the floor. No ambulance was called. This is one of many stories. This is the reality of artist mistreatment, this is why I fight.'
Ms Ferguson previously hit out at the industry in 2018 when she claimed to have been bullied, threatened and racially abused by executives.
She added that she had been too worried to speak out before in fear of the welfare of her children - Lillie, 18, and Karl, 16 - but 'will not be silenced' any longer. Keeping the names of her alleged abusers anonymous, she said she was subjected to the 'absolute worst, systematic bullying' behind-the-scenes.
Ms Ferguson found fame as the runner-up of the seventh series of X Factor, losing out to Matt Cardle. She then signed a joint record deal with Syco Music and Epic Records in the UK and later signed with Columbia Records in the US.
