One Direction are an English-Irish 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 finishing third in the seventh series of British television
music competition The X Factor. They subsequently signed in
North America with Columbia Records.
One Direction came to international prominence with the global release of
their debut album Up All Night in early 2012.
Buoyed by the commercial success of the lead single "What Makes You Beautiful", it topped
the charts worldwide and marked the first time a debut album by a British group
had entered at number one on the US Billboard
200 chart. They were subsequently inducted into the Guinness World Records. Preceded by the record-breaking lead single "Live While We're Young", the group's
second studio album Take Me Home is scheduled
for release on 12 November 2012. A follow-up 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. As of August 2012, One Direction have
sold 12 million records. Their
achievements include a BRIT Award and 3 MTV Video Music Awards. Generating through
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. The Huffington Post proclaimed 2012
"The Year of One Direction".
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