In the seventh season of X-factor, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik auditioned individually. Being young and sightly raw as musicians, they were unable to pass under the ‘boys’ category in the bootcamp stage of the competition. It was then, out of nowhere, that they were called back out on stage where they were put forward as a group. Simon Cowell ended up being in charge of them throughout the course of the competition and publicly took credit for creating the band in 2010. It wasn’t until very recently that an unseen footage of the making of the band was released which proved that the idea of creating the band belonged to guest judge Nicole Scherzinger.
“They’re like little stars. So, you can’t get rid of little stars. You just put them all together.”
Nicole Scherzinger while arranging the one direction boys into a band.
While giving interviews for the This is Us movie, the boys revealed that upon meeting instead of rehearsing and figuring things out they just sat by a fire, talked and played football. One of the main reasons why they worked as a band was because of their equations with each other. They were young boys who chose to act their age and do what they love on the side, which is why their stage chemistry was remarkable. Their first performance was ‘Torn‘, after which they got put through to the judges houses.
Fan Mania
They then performed ‘Viva La Vida‘ on stage, which is where the craze initially began. Around 200 fans gathered outside to greet them after which was unheard of at this early a stage in the competition. After each performance, their following grew larger and larger. Each fan more dedicated and hard-core than the first, they voted loads of times and made One direction the first group to reach the finals in X-factor history.
Their fans made it a mission to make sure that the whole planet knew who one direction is. They first conquered the UK, then the rest of Europe, the USA and eventually the whole world. It was claimed that even The Beatles didn’t achieve such cross-continental success this early in their career. The fans tweeted religiously and made One Direction’s success inevitable.
“This is why we have the best fans in the world. I’m going to prove it right now.”
Niall Horan opening a window to a thousand screaming fans
The Beginning
After X-Factor they released their debut single in September 2011 called What Makes You Beautiful. The song was a raging success and reached number 1 on the UK singles chart and became the most pre-ordered song in Sony Music Entertainment history. The same year they singed a deal with Colombia Records in USA and released their first studio album Up All Night. The album was an immediate success and became the third best selling global album of the year. They also became the first UK group to have their debut album reach number one in USA.
The Middle
In 2012 they released their first single from their second studio album called Live While We’re Young. The song reached top 10 in almost every country it charted in which was around 35 countries. In November of the same year they released their second studio album called Take Me Home. One direction then became the first band to have their first two albums be at the top of Billboard 200. After this they embarked on their second tour which consisted of 123 shows, which got sold out in mere hours.
In 2013, One Direction’s first concert film was released called This Is Us. The film showed their journey as individuals and their chemistry as a band. The same year they released their third album called Midnight Memories. The albums lead single was The Best Song Ever which went on to break multiple records. They went on to do their first all stadium tour called the Where We Are Tour. In 2014, they released a concert film inspired by the tour. Immediately after they released their fourth studio album called Four. Four was the top charted album in more than 62 countries. On February 2015, One Direction went on their fourth world tour called On The Road Again Tour which grossed over 208 million dollars.
The End
I think it’s safe to say that One Direction’s prime years were successful but also extremely strenuous. The boys were pitted against each other, forced into stereotypes and over-worked. Ultimately their breakup though heartbreaking, was inevitable. In 2015, a statement was released which claimed that Zayn Malik would be leaving the band. Zayn was unable to work under the conditions that put up by the management and he also revealed that he didn’t like the music the band was creating. Zayn has often spoken up about him having no output in the music that One Direction was releasing.
After Zayn left, the rest of the band tried to acclimatize to the new reality. They released Drag Me Down in July 2015. Even without promotional material, the song topped the charts in many countries. They released their last album titled Made in the A.M. which ultimately made them decide on a hiatus. Functioning without a fifth member was unprecedented and made the rest of the band part ways.
Solo Careers and Friendships
Zayn leaving the band definitely caused bitterness among certain bandmates. Louis Tomlinson, who was very close to Zayn had a public fight with him over twitter. Zayn also mentioned how him and Harry Styles never spoke which turned out to be a big source for the fandoms heartbreak. Liam Payne opened up about his problems with alcohol while he was in the band. Their management was extremely profit oriented and didn’t care about the mental health of the band members. This became more and more evident when they started speaking up.
These boys were forced to work under terrible conditions and their constant proximity with each other made them bitter towards each other. Their friendships were one of the main reasons behind their success and they were what made the band. Their youth was very controlled which is what made them miserable. Over the years they have given positive and sometimes negative press comments about each other. It really comes down to showing up for each other when it matters. Which they tend to do. Most of the time anyway.
Their Careers
All of the band members have started their solo ventures with music. Zayn was the first one to do so and has released 4 albums. He has mostly stayed away from the media, choosing a private life and releasing his music solely for online listening. Although recently he has started coming out and doing interviews and he also had his first stage performance in 8 years at the O2 arena. Liam Payne is the most active on social media and has spoken about his experiences freely. He has one album and mostly releases singles.
Louis Tomlinson opened up about not knowing where he stood as a solo artist after the band. He was a judge at X-Factor immediately after. He was the last of the boys to release his music and has released 2 albums. Niall Horan has given us some big hits and has been very careful and amiable while discussing One Direction in interviews. He has 3 studio albums. Harry Styles is the most successful member and talks about the band pleasantly. He has ventured into films and has 3 albums.
Hopes For The Future
Even though there was some hostility initially, it seems like recently enough time has passed for the members to heal. All the boys have been reminiscing and looking back at their days in the band with a much more positive light. I think Zayn said it best his interview with Call Her Daddy:
“There was obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too. We’d got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest. We were close, you know? We’d done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand and I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have when I’d just left. There were great experiences, I had great times with them, but we’d just run our course.”
Their fans continue to remain dedicated wanting, not them to get together as a band but only as friends. There is a lot of speculation around a possible reunion.
