One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group is composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the group in March 2015. They became one of the best-selling boy groups of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
Not to be confused with One-way.
One Direction
The group signed with Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records after forming and placing third in the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010. Propelled to global success by social media,[1][2][3] One Direction's five albums, Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M. (2015), topped charts in several countries, and generated hit singles including "What Makes You Beautiful", "Live While We're Young", "Best Song Ever", "Story of My Life" and "Drag Me Down". After the release of Four, One Direction became the first band in the US Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums debut at number one.[4] Their third album, Midnight Memories, was the best-selling album worldwide of 2013.[5]
Considered teen idols, One Direction were often subject to fan hysteria.[6][7] They embarked on four world tours, two of which were all-stadium. The band's Where We Are Tour, in support of Midnight Memories, was the highest-grossing concert tour in 2014, the highest-grossing tour by a vocal group in history, and the 15th highest-grossing concert tour of all time, grossing $290.2 million.[8] The band went on indefinite hiatus in January 2016, allowing all members to pursue other projects.[9][10]
As of 2020, the band have sold a total of 70 million records worldwide,[11] making them one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.[12] The band have won nearly 200 awards, including seven Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards (including Artist of the Year in 2014 and 2015), and 28 Teen Choice Awards. In 2013, they earned an estimated $75 million, becoming the second highest earning celebrity under 30 according to Forbes.[13] As the world's best-selling artist of 2013, the group was named the Global Recording Artist of the Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.[14] In 2014, Billboard named the band "Artist of the Year".[15][16] Forbes ranked them as the fourth highest-earning celebrities in the world in 2015,[17] and subsequently in second in 2016.[18]
Artistry
One Direction's debut studio album, Up All Night (2011), is predominantly a pop music record, containing elements of teen pop, dance-pop, pop rock, with electropop and rock influences.[175][176][177][178] Digital Spy's Robert Copsey described the album as a "collection of PG pop rock with killer choruses",[179] while The New York Times considered it "full of easy rock-inflected pop, blithe and sometimes clever".[180] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard acknowledged that the album demonstrates an originality in sound that was "necessary for the revitalization of the boy band movement".[178] The songs "One Thing" and "What Makes You Beautiful" were particularly noted for the genres of power pop and pop rock, for their "powerhouse" guitar riffs and "forceful" choruses.[171][172][175][181]
Their second studio album, Take Me Home (2012), is characterised by rock-inherited pop, prominent electric guitar riffs, bright synthesisers, a homogeneous sound and message, and the pitch-correcting software Auto-Tune.[96][97][98][182][183] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian interpreted its signature sound as a "peppy, synth-bolstered take on early-80s new-wave pop, heavy on clipped rhythms and chugging guitars", which, he said, is at least an improvement on the substitute contemporary R&B "that was once the grim lot of the boyband".[97] Jon Caramanica, writing in The New York Times, considered the album "far more mechanical" than their debut album, although noted that it is sonically and lyrically similar.[96] The album's lyricism speaks of falling in love, unrequited love, the insistence that flaws are what make a person unique, commitment, jealousy and longing for past significant others.[96][97][98][184]
Erica Futterman for Rolling Stone favoured their live acoustic performances as both showing "Horan's ability to play guitar, as well as One Direction's admirable live vocals. There was no need to worry about a backing track or a bum note, a pleasant realization at a pop show."[185] Herald Sun's Cameron Adams opined that One Direction have "strong pop voices".[186] Melody Lau of the National Post wrote, "It's easy to get lost in inherent appeal of their perfectly coiffed dos and almost-too-put-together preppy style but somewhere in the midst of all the love-struck squeals of teenage girls are guys who can actually sing and, to a certain extent, entertain."[187] Jane Stevenson of the portal site Canoe concurred: "What I didn't really prepare myself for was that they all can actually sing in concert."[188] Chris Richards, writing in The Washington Post, dissented from the approval: "As the five traded couplets, it was tough to imagine a future Justin Timberlake, Ricky Martin or Bobby Brown emerging from the pack. No one voice stood out."[189] Mike Wass of Idolator felt One Direction's "surprisingly accomplished effort" of Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" proved that One Direction are "more than capable" of evolving their sound.[190]
Their third album Midnight Memories (2013) is a pop rock record, a slight departure from the band's original teen pop sound. Liam Payne called Midnight Memories a "slightly rockier and edgier" album than their previous material. The album is heavily influenced by 80's rock[191] and folk music and briefly integrates elements of dubstep, notably in "Little White Lies". The album's lyrical themes primarily revolve around love, heartbreak and sexual intercourse. Many critics praised its lyrical depth and musical composition, as well as the group's level of involvement in the production process.[192]
Their fourth album Four (2014) was released on 17 November 2014. Payne once again claimed that the album would be "edgier" and that the group had written most of the songs for it; Horan came up with the name of the album, commemorating the fact that it is One Direction's fourth record to date and that it has been four years since the band's formation. Signifying a further maturation of their pop sound, the album's first single, "Steal My Girl", was dubbed by Billboard as "no What Makes You Beautiful, but its Coldplay-like piano pop could be a good direction",[193] and that the band was "not entirely ready to let go of its bubble-gum days". Rolling Stone described the record as "saturated with retro vibes"; its songs "split the difference between big, splashy Eighties pop rock and more elegant Seventies flavours – a very pesky whipper-snapper move that's not so far from what Haim's hit 'Days Are Gone' did last year".[194]
Current members
Former members
Timeline
Other ventures
Endorsements
In 2011, One Direction became the face of Pokémon Black and White, starring in a series of television adverts.[195] They were the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series of role-playing games.[196] They also launched Nokia C3 and Nokia C2-02 phones. To promote the launch Nokia made a series of photos of the band members using the phones to take photos of themselves.[197]
In 2012, they teamed up with Colgate to launch their own One Direction Colgate MaxFresh Power Toothbrush, the One Direction Colgate Maxfresh Manual Toothbrush, and the One Direction Colgate MaxFresh Toothpaste.[198] The band was signed by Pepsi in a multimillion-dollar advertising deal in 2012.[199] Social media marketing included a tie up with Shazam, whereby consumers that used the digital music app in conjunction with the ad both on TV and online were able to view exclusive content and link back to iTunes to buy One Direction's single, "Live While We're Young".[200] Mini figures based on members of the group were launched for the band's US fans after the agreement was signed by American firm Hasbro.[201][202] In October 2012, the band also signed up to endorse Filipino clothing brand, Penshoppe.[203]
