One Direction will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic boybands to ever grace our lives. And how could they not be? They pretended to be their own wax-figurines, they gave us hilarious comedy on SNL and they danced with David Cameron in their music video for ‘One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)’. True legends.
We spoke about this on today’s episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
As One Direction’s 10th anniversary is on its way, let’s reflect on all the iconic moments that happened in the last 10 years. Here are the top 10 most memorable moments from 10 years of One Direction.
Their Formation On The X-Factor
It’s a tale as old as time, but many of us are quick to forget that One Direction were the first memorable band to be formed on the X-Factor. After auditioning solo, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were all pulled together after Simon Cowell saw the potential in a boy-band. And boy, was he right. Even though the boys only came 3rd in the X-Factor UK, 2010, we reckon their success post-show has surpassed any other reality-show alumni.
The Release of ‘What Makes You Beautiful’
A year after their success on the X-Factor, One Direction officially debuted in full-swing with their pop anthem, ‘What Makes You Beautiful.’ The song went 7× Platinum on the ARIA charts, not to mention hitting the number one spot in the UK and raking in over a billion views on YouTube. Well done boys.
Their Appearance on iCarly
Kings of cameo, we couldn’t write this list without mentioning their hilarious appearance on iCarly. For their only dip into the world of fiction entertainment, these boys entertained millions with their appearance on the episode ‘iGo One Direction’. It was at this point that we realised, their taste level was through the roof. Without iCarly, we wouldn’t have the cinematic masterpiece, Dunkirk.
Their Olympics Performance
The 2012 Olympics will forever go down in history as one of the greatest pop concerts in history. Not only did it reunite the Spice Girls, but it also showed off One Direction in their prime, performing ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ to a crowd of millions. Pop off.
The Take Me Home Tour In Australia
While the boys did stop by Australia at the end of 2012, we don’t like to talk about that. The boys were at the height of their fame and their management set up 3 tour dates in Australia in small venues. Not cool.
Instead, let’s bring your attention to the Take Me Home Tour, which saw the boys play 24 dates in Australia and New Zealand, promoting their first and second album. Now, that’s more like it!
The Adventurous Adventures of One Direction
Okay, so this video has absolutely nothing to do with the boys whatsoever, but the true stans will know what we’re talking about. Uploaded to YouTube by Mark Parsons, this cartoon episode showing the One Direction boys as superheroes raked in almost 50 million views. Was there potential for these boys to have an actual animated show? You betcha.
1D Day
![1DDAY FULL LIVESTREAM [23-11-2013]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mEHM0tF4MNk/hqdefault.jpg)
To celebrate the release of their 3rd studio album Midnight Memories, One Direction gave the fans everything they wanted, heaps of content. All 5 boys held an epic seven-hour live stream, which featured plenty of guests, comedy sketches, games, and even some of us. We’d say that we’re about 70% happy for the fans in this event and only 30% jealous. Okay, make that 60%/40%.
Zayn Leaving The Band
It was the moment that broke all our hearts, the day that Zayn announced he was leaving the band. It was the middle of their On the Road Again Tour when Zayn announced he was leaving the tour because of the “stress” it was causing him. But then, less than a week later, on the 25th of March, the band announced Malik’s decision to permanently exit the group. Sorry, you’ll have to give us a minute.
Zayn’s Confronting Feud With Louis
After Zayn’s departure from the band, it would seem there was quite a bit of tension going on. After leaving, Zayn wasted no time and quickly started working music with producer, Naughty Boy for his own solo stuff. And for some reason, Louis ended up getting into a Twitter spat with the producer, which escalated quickly when Zayn weighed in on the beef. Yikes.
The Hiatus
In 2016, Us Weekly published an article claiming that the One Direction’s hiatus would become a permanent split, with a “source” citing that each of the four remaining group members did not renew their contracts when the time came. Representatives denied the article, but by May the following year, all members of the group had released solo singles. They said the hiatus would last for 18 months, but the band still are yet to reform.
Where did those 10 years go One Direction?
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, a One Direction anniversary website, full of “immersive” offerings, playlists and “activations across digital platforms,” will be coming to us real soon. The site will have reformatted One Direction EPs, live recordings, acoustic versions and “rare songs” too.
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