British boy band One Direction, or 1D or Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, broke onto the music scene via British TV as contestants on the X Factor, and now they’ve broken records in North America, being the first UK band to debut at number one on American Charts! Find out more in their Kidzworld Bio!
X-Factor
Funnily enough, Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis became a band almost by accident, all thanks to X Factor! Each member auditioned for the show as a solo performers in the “Boys” category, but none of them quite made the cut – but that’s not where the story ends! Celebrity judge Nicole Scherzinger had an unconventional idea, why not band together – literally! And One Direction was born. The five were put together and entered again in the “Groups” category and blew everyone away with their charm, energy and amazing chemistry. They came in third on the show, but they had been become number one in the hearts of viewers, as shown by their popularity online!
One Direction on stage at X-Factor
Up All Night
The boys immediately signed a record deal with X Factor Judge Simon Cowell and Syco Records and went on tour with other acts from X Factor. They also started working on their debut album Up All Night, the first hit single of which was the ultra-romantic “What Makes You Beautiful”, which dropped in the fall of 2011. Despite being a group from the UK, the boys say that because of the internet their music spread “across the pond” and helped the boys debut at number one in the U.S. on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Niall told they Associated Press that he “freaked out” and harry said he was “humbled” by the experience.
One Direction Up All Night Album CoverCourtesy of
"Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been a large percentage of the reason we've been known outside of the U.K. We owe a massive thank you to the fans," said Harry.
They also received a 2012 Brit Award for Best British Single.
Check out "What Makes You Beautiful" below!
Take Me Home to This is Us
One Direction's second studio album Take Me Home was released in 2012 and featured the hit singles "Live While We're Young" and "Little Things" (written by a UK songwriter you might be familiar with - Ed Sheeran!) 1D was undeniably on the rise, selling out worldwide shows, and going on to put out another documentary - the 3D concert documentary This is Us directed by famous documentarian Morgan Spurlock (you might remember him from Supersize Me.) This is Us hit theaters in August 2013 and was a box office success - and the film featured footage of first single off their next album, Midnight Memories, which came out a few months later in November 2013.
FOUR
On November 17th 2014 One Direction released their latest album FOUR! Not only is it sweeping fans off their feet, they have also been praised by critics for creating a an album full of beautiful, more complex and mature songs that have a slightly retro vibe going all the way back to the 70s and 80s. That's not all, the guys went right back on the road again, announcing the "On The Road Tour" kicking off in 2015.
Check out the video for "Night Changes" from FOUR
Goodbye Zayn
In April 2015, the news broke that One Direction member Zayn Malik was leaving the band for personal reasons. In a letter to fans, he said:
“My life with One Direction has been more than I could ever have imagined. But, after five years, I feel like it is now the right time for me to leave the band. I’d like to apologise to the fans if I’ve let anyone down, but I have to do what feels right in my heart. I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight. I know I have four friends for life in Louis, Liam, Harry and Niall. I know they will continue to be the best band in the world.”
The news came as a major shock to many fans, but he left with the support of his friends and former bandmates. Setting on their On the Road Tour in 2015, One Direction is down to just members - happy trails Zayn! You'll be missed.
One Direction are On the Road without Zayn
Have Your Say
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