A band that was headed for success

ONE DIRECTION (commonly abbreviated as 1D) is a pop boyband based in London. It currently comprises Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.

The group signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records after forming and finishing third in the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010.

Propelled to international success by social media, One Direction’s four albums –

(2011), (2012), (2013) and (2014) – topped charts in most major markets, and generated hit singles, including What Makes You Beautiful, Live While We’re Young, Story of My Life and Steal My Girl.

The band’s achievements include five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 11 MTV Europe Music Awards, and 19 Teen Choice Awards out of 19 nominations.

According to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represented a US$50 million (RM210 million) business empire by June 2012.

The band was proclaimed 2012’s Top New Artiste by Billboard, and in 2014, Forbes listed its members the secondhighest earning celebrities under 30, with the group earning an estimated US$75 million (RM315 million) from June 2013 to June 2014.

After the release of One Direction became the first band in the US Billboard 200 history to have its first four albums debut at No.1. Its third album,

was the biggestselling album worldwide of 2013 despite being released in late November.

In 2014, Billboard named One Direction Artiste of the Year.