One Direction

One Direction are an English-Irish all-male pop group who were mentored by Simon Cowell on the seventh series of the UK version of The X Factor. Despite finishing in third place, Simon signed the guys to Syco Music. The group has gone on to become a global success.

The group consists of Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson.

The X Factor (UK version)
All five guys originally auditioned for the show as solo artists but didn't make it past bootcamp. Figuring that they deserved another chance, the judges put all five guys together as a group, resulting in them making it to Judges' Homes with Simon Cowell as their mentor. They wowed him and his guest advisor, British-American pop star Sinetta, with their rendition of the Natalie Imbruglia hit "Torn". That performance resulted in them going ot the live shows.

Once they reached the live shows, the guys wowed the public with their renditions of such songs as "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, and "Total Eclipse of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Their personal friendship and fearlessness endeared them to many people.

One Direction finished in third place on December 12, 2010.

Post X Factor
Despite their third place finish on the show, the guys got signed to Syco Music and started work on their first album, Up All Night, which was released in the UK on November 18, 2011 via Syco Music and on March 12, 2012 in the United States via Columbia Records. The album's first single, "What Makes You Beautiful", was a global success, hitting the top ten in several countries including the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, and Mexico. The album has sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide.

The guys released their second album, Take Me Home, on November 9, 2012. Like Up All Night before it, Take Me Home was a huge success, hitting number 1 in several countries. The first single, "Live While We're Young", was a big hit like "What Makes You Beautiful" was, hitting the top ten in many countries.

In between albums, the guys toured extensively, recorded the single "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" for the British charity Comic Relief, and even performed on the American version of The X Factor twice. Their third album, Midnight Memories, was released on November 25, 2013, which debuted at number 1 on the BIllboard 200. Their 3D movie, One Direction: This is Us, was released in theaters on August 30, 2013 and was a box office success, grossing over $67.3 million.

The group's fourth album, Four, was released on November 17, 2014. It debuted at number 1 in various countries including the United States.

Discography
Charity singles:


 * "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)" (2013) (Comic Relief single)
 * "Best Song Ever" (2013) (One Direction: This is Us)

Albums:


 * Up All Night (2011)


 * Take Me Home (2012)


 * Midnight Memories (2013)
 * Four (2014)