Biographic - Sunday July 29, 2012 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Boy bands are back in Vogue, spearheaded by a young quintet who came together as an afterthought. British teens, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayan Malik and Louis Tomlinson, along with Irish-born Niall Horan, were all candidates for the "Boys" section of the U.K version of "The X-Factor" tv talent show. When they failed to make it through, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls suggested that they be banded together and placed in the "Groups" category. Taking the name One Direction, the boys had just five weeks to gel before the next stage of the competition. They were an immediate hit with the public and although they didn't win, they were snapped up by Simon Cowell's record company. The group's debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" soared to the top of the U.K. and Irish charts and hit the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the states. Released in the U.S. in March 2012, the group's album "Up All Night" went straight to the top of the U.S. and canadian charts, making One Direction the first British one in both countries, it was also top in 14 other countries! Many of the venues on the 2013 worldwide arena tour, which will see them headline more than 100 shows, are already sold out. It is little wonder that the band's record label predicts One Direction will generate $100 million in the next year alone!

Tags