One Direction Biography

One Direction are a British-Irish boy band consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Sony Music subsidiarySyco Records.

One Direction's debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" was released on 11 September 2011. The single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number one on 18 September 2011, shifting 153,965 copies, becoming the third fastest selling single of 2011. Their second single, "Gotta Be You", was released on 13 November 2011, which peaked at number three. Their debut album Up All Night was released on 21 November 2011. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 138,631 copies, and was the fastest-selling debut album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011. Up All Night was the sixteenth biggest selling album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011, with 468,000 copies sold.

"What Makes You Beautiful" won the Best British Single award at the 2012 BRIT Awards, which was held on 21 February 2012.

HISTORY

2010: The X Factor and formation

Main article: The X Factor (UK series 7)

In 2010, all five members applied as solo candidates for the The X Factor, but failed to qualify for the "Boys" category. After suggestion by guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, the five were put into a band, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category. After the elimination of F.Y.D., Diva Fever andBelle Amie within four weeks, they were Simon Cowell's last act in the competition. One Direction finished third behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle. Immediately after the final, their song "Forever Young", which would have been released if they had won The X Factor, was leaked onto the internet.

2011–present: Up All Night

Main article: Up All Night (One Direction album)

Following The X Factor, the group signed a £2 million record contract with Syco Records. One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011. The tour consisted of multiple stops within the UK and Ireland. On 29 July 2011, they made an appearance on Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

One Direction made an appearance on The Alan Titchmarsh Show on 4 April 2011 and Malik confirmed their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" would be released in June, though it was pushed back to August in order to coincide with the launch of the eighth series of The X Factor, and then again to September. While on the show, One Direction also confirmed they are the new ambassadors for Pokémon.

They developed their debut album with Savan Kotecha and released their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" on 11 September 2011. The song received its first airplay on 10 August on BBC Radio 1, and broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music. It entered theUK Singles Chart at No. 1 with 153,965 sales within the first week. As of December 2011 the single had sold 540,000 copies in the UK. 1 January 2012, it was revealed that 'What Makes You Beautiful' was the 20th biggest-selling single of 2011 on the UK Singles Chart. On 26 September, One Direction announced their debut headline UK tour, the Up All Night Tour, set for December 2011 and January 2012. The tour was sold out in minutes of release.

One Direction released their second single "Gotta Be You" on 13 November 2011. The single was followed by their debut studio album, Up All Night on 21 November. The album features songs written by Kelly Clarkson and Ed Sheeran. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 138,631 copies, and was the fastest-selling debut album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011. Up All Night was the sixteenth biggest selling album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011, with 468,000 copies sold. On 9 November 2011, One Direction also revealed that they will be touring the United States with Big Time Rush from February 2012 to March 2012.

On 6 January 2012, One Direction released their third single "One Thing" on 6 January 2012, in various European countries and was released in the United Kingdom, 13 February 2012. In the UK's singles week of release, "One Thing" became the highest climber of the week up seventeen places (26-9), peaking at number nine with 31,602 sales, becoming the third consecutive top ten single from Up All Night.

One Direction have signed a record deal with Columbia Records in the United States. The album was originally set for release in North America 23 March 2012, but was rescheduled for a one week earlier release 13 March 2012, with Columbia Records releasing a statement: "due to overwhelming fan demand, their debut album will be released one week early on 13 March 2012. "What Makes You Beautiful" was released via digital download in the United States, 14 February 2012. In the Unites States, "What Makes You Beautiful" became the highest Hot 100 debut for a U.K. act since 1998. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number twenty-eight, while debuting at number twelve on the Hot Digital Songs Chart, selling 132,000 downloads in its first week.

The group is set to appear on the American channel Nickelodeon's TV show iCarly in 2012. One Direction will play them self and will perform "What Makes You Beautiful" in the episode. The air date of the episode has not been confirmed.