Members :
- Niall Horan
- Zayn Malik
- Liam Payne
- Harry Styles
- Louis Tomlinson
One Direction are an English boy band formed in London in 2010, consisting of members
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They
signed with Simon Cowell's
record label Syco Records
after being formed and placing third in the seventh series of British
television music competition The X
Factor. They subsequently signed in North America with Columbia Records.
Buoyed by the international
chart-topping debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful", One
Direction's debut studio album, Up All Night (2011), topped
charts worldwide. Its number one debut on the US Billboard 200
chart, made One Direction the first British group in US chart history to debut
at number one with their first album, a feat which was inducted in the Guinness
World Records. One Direction supported the album with their Up All
Night Tour. Preceded by lead single, "Live While We're Young",
One Direction's second studio album, Take Me Home is scheduled
for release on 12 November 2012. One Direction's upcoming world tour is set to
run for most of 2013, with tickets grossing US$15.7 million for their
Australian and New Zealand dates. Besides their musical endeavours, One
Direction have supported various charities and foundations, and have commercial
endorsements with Pokémon, Nokia, HarperCollins and Hasbro.
One Direction have been described as sparking a
resurgence in the boy band concept, and of forming part of a new "British
Invasion" in the United States. Generating millions in combined music,
merchandising and touring sales, as of June 2012, according to Nick Gatfield, the
chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One
Direction represent an US$50 million business empire. By August 2012, One
Direction have sold 12 million records. Their achievements include a BRIT
Award and 3 MTV Video Music Awards. The Huffington Post
proclaimed 2012 "The Year of One Direction”.
