One direction
“Dreams are like stars, you may never touch them, but if you follow them they will lead you to your destiny”. By coming third in The X Factor, the 5-some proved that losing isn't always the end of the world and in some cases, it can even be the very making of you. Thanks 1D, for reminding losers everywhere that there's hope. One direction is a British boy band who appeared in the 2010 series of The X Factor. The band consists of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson and previously Zayn Malik. Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik auditioned as solo singers in the seventh series of 'The X Factor'. They failed to make it through to live shows individually, so were put together as One Direction by the judges. They finished third and they signed to Simon Cowell's Syco Records. And that is where their successful journey began. One direction released 5 albums and all of them hit off really well and earned the band millions of fans and an enormous amount of fame. One Direction topped the UK charts with their first single 'What Makes You Beautiful' in 2011 and signed up for America's Columbia Records. Their 2012 album 'Up All Night' made them become the first British group to top US charts with a debut album. That year they also performed ‘What makes you beautiful’ at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. The album's lyrical content regards being young, relationships, heartbreak and empowerment. ‘Up all night’ became UK's fastest-selling debut album of 2011. it debuted to number one on the United States Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry ‘Up All Night’ was the third global best-selling album of 2012 with sales of 4.5 million copies. |
After the success of their first album One Direction recorded their second album ‘Take me home’ in Stockholm, and released it in 2012 also featuring the number one singles ‘live while we’re young’ and ‘little things’, they performed at the Royal Variety performance. In 2013 they released a mash up of ‘one way or another’ and ‘teenage kicks’ for Comic Relief, during that time they went to Ghana as volunteers at a hospital. Also in 2013 their documentary movie ‘One Direction: this is us’ came out and was directed by Morgan Spurlock, and became the fourth highest grossing concert movie. They also released their album ‘Midnight Memories’ featuring lead single ‘best song ever’. They are the first british boy band to debut at the top of the billboard 200 with its first three albums. In 2014, they released their hit album ‘Four’. In 2015, it was announced that Zayn Malik had left the band. Which caused massive disappointment in the One Direction fandom and was a massive clash "Absence makes your heart grow fonder" for the band but they later released the first single from their fifth album ‘Made in the Am’, the single was called ‘Drag me down’ and announced that they were planning a hiatus to explore solo career paths. One of the reasons why the 5 boys inspire millions of people is because of their song lyrics about love, friendship, family, positive life quotes etc. they convey positive messages through their songs and encourage young teens. For example their song ‘Story of my life’ was dedicated to their families and shows the love they have for their families and how their family members who have passed away are remembered and loved. Also a positive song of theirs that got a lot of appreciation is ‘Hey Angel’ which was dedicated to fans who could not make it to their concerts while they were on tour and also dedicated to fans who had passed away. It had really positive lyrics and the song shows the love the band has for their fans. |
Just a little about the band members themselves: Harry Edward Styles was born on February 1, 1994 in the West Midlands region of England. Harry went to Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, where him and his friends formed a band called White Eskimo. He was the main singer of the band and even won a band competition at their school. Followed by Niall James Horan who was born on September the 13th 1993 in Mullingar Ireland. During Niall’s teenage years he expressed talent in singing and performing, he also attended St. Kenny National School, where he took part in plays, and also sang in the choir. Following up with Louis Edward Tomlinson who was born on December the 24th 1991 in Doncaster, England. During his teen years he acted and sang on television and in the school productions just like Niall did, but Louis also had a small role in ‘fat friends’. Lastly, Liam James Payne was born on August 29 1993 in Wolverhampton England. Following his graduation from St. Peter's, he enrolled in the City of Wolverhampton College to study music technology. Over all One Direction is the most in demand boy band on Earth. And they inspire millions of people. “Fans always tell us that we are beautiful, but no one will be as beautiful as them” - Harry Styles |