When you read this on Sunday, Dec. 15, it will have been 1,561 days without One Direction, not that I’m counting (but a twitter fan account for the band I follow definitely is).

I’m going to be honest — I didn’t jump onto the One Direction train when they exploded onto the scene in 2010 hot off their creation on British reality talent show ‘The X Factor.’ I didn’t even become a fan after their anticipated first or second full-length releases.

It didn’t happen until their December 2013 performance of their B-side ‘Through the Dark’ on Saturday Night Live that I fully went off the deep end.

Before then, I would joke about being a fan. It was purely for laughs. Friends bought me 1D merch as joke gifts. We all had a good time. Everyone knew I was still a punk. No one was getting hurt.

And then it was like a light switch went off. Something about their overall performance and ventures into comedy in that one SNL episode hosted by Paul Rudd made me lose my mind.

I went down a steep descent into the most ferocious fandom the internet has ever seen.

My tumblr slowly became a 1D fan page with all of the fan content following their careers.

I could almost tell you exactly where any of them were at any given moment with the power of Twitter and the intensity of their fans.

I nearly lost my mind the day Harry Styles’ sister retweeted me. My phone exploded with likes, follows and retweets. I made friends through the process.

There were at least two years where I really didn’t listen to anything else.

And then as quickly as it happened, we all knew it was coming to an end. Zayn left the group mid-tour and while there was going to be a full album released with just the remaining four members, everyone knew it was going to be different. Their contracts with their creator, Simon Cowell, were coming to an end and it was pretty obvious the group would need at least a break.

That’s how they framed it, too. The group announced a break that would last “at least 18 months.”

I hadn’t seen the band and one of their final appearances was scheduled for a Christmas show in California. Friends and fans of the band that I never met pooled together funds so I could see them before they took their “hiatus.” That was the power of the fandom.

Here we are, years later, and I still listen to their albums pretty consistently, if I’m not listening to one of their solo endeavors. Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis all released new music on the same day earlier this month. Harry’s second full-length dropped Friday. I already have tickets to see Harry and Niall next year.

So, while they don’t exist as a group anymore, does it surprise me that One Direction is my artist of the decade? Not a single bit. They’re my silly little boy band that brings me so much joy even after they’ve thrown in the towel.

Desiree Carver is a reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be reached at (229) 244-3400 ext. 1215.