During One Direction’s five years at the top of the charts, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles became the princes of pop. From the release of their first single in 2011 to their last album in 2015, One Direction was a record-breaking pop force.

     “I think One Direction was unstoppable because they had everything: the looks, the good music, and they truly loved their fans,” junior Hannah Burris said. 

     July 2010 was when the five young men joined the British singing competition “The X-Factor” as solo artists but were all eliminated during the auditions. Judge Simon Cowell could not let them go, however, and advised them to  re-enter the competition as a group, one that ultimately made it through to the live shows. While on “The X-Factor”, the band filmed video diaries, posting them on Youtube where viewers fell in love.

     “I think Cowell gave the band a second chance because he saw the amount of potential they had. He also probably saw how marketable they were; they all had similar styles and the same fan bases: teenage girls,” sophomore Katie Bejian said.

    What set One Direction apart from past boy bands was their use of social media to promote songs and interact with fans. In the beginning of 2010, singles were made more accessible through streaming services such as Youtube and Spotify. 

     The music industry took what would become its most significant turn towards a digital future. Fan clubs, once the product of torn-out subscription pages from teen magazines, naturally moved with them. 

     “I think the early stages of social media and streaming platforms contributed to One Direction’s success because it let their music be heard by people all over the world,” Burris said. 

     Nearing the end of 2010, One Direction took third place in “The X-Factor”. Despite not winning,the group was one of the show’s most notable acts even as many questioned if they would find success outside of the UK. 

     One Direction’s first song, “What Makes You Beautiful,” was released Feb. of 2012. The song is one of the band’s most well-known and has gone platinum four times. 

     “I think One Direction was so successful after ‘The X-Factor’ because they had the whole boy band it factor,” senior Shelby Sammis said. “Simon knew putting five attractive young boys together would attract the teen audience they needed to be successful.” 

      Their debut album “Up All Night” (2011) quickly became one of the top selling albums of the year, setting the group up for its first tour, the Up All Night Tour, in December. Since the group only toured in Europe at the time, they released a recording of the concert in May 2012, which sold one million copies worldwide in just 4 short months. This gave the band hope that they would find success worldwide. 

      March 25, 2015, the day Zayn announced he was leaving the band in the middle of the “Where We Are Tour”. Zayn’s departure left the future up in the air for the remaining four members.

   No one was sure if One Direction would continue as a four-member group. The band ended up releasing another album, “Made In The A.M.,” and went on a fourth and final sold-out world tour. 

     “After Zayn left, One Direction was successful because they knew they had to keep going; they had such a big fan base that would be broken if they let one person split them apart,” Bejian said. 

     One Direction announced that they would embark on an extended hiatus to explore their own projects at the end of 2015. Their last performance before pursuing solo careers was where it all started, on “The X-Factor”. During the performance the group performed two songs from their most recent album, “Infinity” and “History.” At the end of the performance Liam Payne told host Olly Murs: “It’s been the most amazing five years. We are sad to be going away for a little while but we need it, thank you to all the fans who’ve supported us over the years.”

     July 23, 2020 marked the 10th anniversary of One Direction’s formation. The anniversary sparked a strong social media presence across platforms. The widely-used hashtag, #10YearsOf1D, was teased by the official One Direction Twitter account leading up to the anniversary. While fans speculated and hopped for a reunion, all that came from it was a statement from the boys on social media: “So many memories. Thanks for celebrating with us! Directioners forever.”

     One Direction represents a kind of snapshot of the best parts of coming-of-age, especially for Gen-Z fans, who practically grew up with the band.

     “Ten years later, I think fans are still latched on to One Direction because a lot of teens have not only found comfort in the boys, but also found comfort in being [themselves]. One Direction has always been a group that accepts anyone, no matter how much of an outcast the rest of society found them. I think even now, especially Harry, has been defying any and all norms, which makes more people drawn to him,” Sammis said.