One Direction

One Direction are an English boy band formed in London in 2010, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They signed with SimonCowell's record label Syco Records after being formed and finishing third in the seventh series of British television music competition The X Factor. They subsequently signed in North Americawith Columbia Records.

One Direction came to international prominence with the global release of their debut album Up All Night in early 2012. Buoyed by the commercial success of the leadsingle "What Makes You Beautiful", it topped the charts worldwide and marked the first time a debut album by a British group had entered at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Theywere subsequently inducted into the Guinness World Records. Preceded by the record-breaking lead single "Live While We're Young", the group's second studio album Take Me Home is scheduledfor release on 12 November 2012. A follow-up world tour is set to run for most of 2013, with tickets grossing US$15.7 million for their Australian and New Zealand dates. Besides theirmusical endeavours, One Direction have supported various charities and foundations, and have commercial endorsements with Pokémon, Nokia, HarperCollins and Hasbro.

One Direction have beendescribed as sparking a resurgence in the boy band concept, and of forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States. As of August 2012, One Direction have sold 12 millionrecords. Their achievements include a BRIT Award and 3 MTV Video Music Awards. Generating through combined music, merchandising and touring sales, as of June 2012, according to Nick Gatfield,the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represent an US$50 million business empire. The Huffington Post proclaimed 2012 "The Year of One Direction".