One Direction
One Direction are an English-Irish pop boy band based in London, consisting of 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 the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010. Propelled to international success by the power of social media, One Direction's three albums Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight Memories released in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively, broke several records, topped the charts of most major markets, and generated hit singles, which include "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Story Of My Life".
Their achievements include two BRIT Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. According to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represented a $50 million business empire by June 2012. They were proclaimed 2012's "Top New Artist" by Billboard.[1] By April 2013, the band had an estimated personal combined wealth of £25 million.[2] After the release of Midnight Memories, One Direction became the first band in 60 years to have their first three albums debut at no 1 in the US. Additionally, the album was a global success, debuting at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200 albums chart and becoming the fastest and biggest selling album of 2013 in the UK.
