Main article: The X Factor (UK series 7)
In 2010, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan applied as solo candidates for the seventh series of The X Factor, but failed to qualify for the "Boys" category. After suggestion by guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, the five were put together to form the band One Direction, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category.[8] After the elimination of F.Y.D., Diva Fever andBelle Amie within four weeks, they were Simon Cowell's last act in the competition. One Direction finished in third place behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle. Immediately after the final, their song "Forever Young", which would have been released if they had won The X Factor, was leaked onto the internet.[9]
2011–present: Up All Night
Main article: Up All Night (One Direction album)
Following The X Factor, One Direction signed a £2 million record contract with Cowell's company Syco Records.[10] One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011.[11] They developed their debut album with Savan Kotecha[12] and released their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" on 11 September 2011.[13] The song broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music.[14] It entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 1 with 153,965 sales within the first week. One Direction released their second single "Gotta Be You" on 13 November 2011, which peaked at number three.[15] The single was followed by their debut studio album, Up All Night on 21 November.[16] The album features One Direction collaborating with Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, RedOne,Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Steve Mac, Toby Gad and Carl Falk.[16] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews."[17] The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 138,631 copies,[3] and was the fastest-selling debut album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011.[4] The album topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden; reaching the top ten in a total of twenty countries.
On 26 September 2011, One Direction announced their debut headline UK tour, the Up All Night Tour, set for December 2011 and January 2012.[18] The tour was sold out in minutes of release.[19] On 9 November 2011, One Direction also revealed that they would be touring the United States with Big Time Rush from February to March 2012.[20] On 6 January 2012, One Direction released their third single "One Thing",[21] as a promotional single in various European countries and was released in the United Kingdom, 13 February 2012.[22] In the United Kingdom, "One Thing" peaked at number nine, becoming the third consecutive top ten single from Up All Night.[23] 21 February 2012, One Direction attended the 2012 Brit Awards. The group received the Brit Award for Best British Single.[24] During One Direction's acceptance speech for their Brit Award, Liam Payne stated the group would embark on their first arena tour in 2013, the then UK & Ireland Arena Tour.[25]
In November 2011, One Direction signed a record deal with Columbia Records in the United States.[26] The album was originally set for release in North America on 23 March 2012 through Columbia Records, but was rescheduled for an earlier release on 13 March 2012, with Columbia Records releasing a statement:[27] "due to overwhelming fan demand, their debut album will be released one week early on 13 March 2012."[28][29] "What Makes You Beautiful" was released in the United States on 14 February 2012,[30] where it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number twenty-eight,[31] the highest Billboard Hot 100 debut for a UK act since 1998.[31] The week of release was accompanied by a performance on the Today Show at the Rockefeller Center on 13 March.[32] On 21 March 2012, Up All Night went straight to number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 after selling 176,000 copies in its first week, making One Direction the first ever UK group to debut at number one with their debut album.[5] In promotion of the album One Direction appeared and performed at the 2012 Kids' Choice Awards (31 March)[33], Saturday Night Live (7 April)[34] and the iCarly episode "iGo One Direction", which aired the same day as the latter.[35][36] In February and March 2012, One Direction announced Australasia and North American legs of theirdebut headlining tour with tour dates set for April to July 2012.[37][38]
As of 9 April 2012, the group is being sued for trademark infringement by a low profile Californian music group who go by the same name. According to the lawsuit, the band has been using the name since 2009, recorded two albums and filed an application to register the trademark name in the US in February 2011. The group say they are entitled to three times the profits made by One Direction, as well as compensatory damages in excess of $1million. The lawsuit claims that Syco and Sony Music "chose to ignore the plaintiff's rights and wilfully infringed them" after they realised in early 2011 that the two bands share the same name.[39] On 13 April 2012, a spokesman for the UK group responded to the claims saying: "One Direction’s management tried to resolve the situation amicably. One Direction’s lawyers now have no choice but to defend the lawsuit and the band's right to use their name."[40]
Cody Simpson
