![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tastethecloudsI decided to split this into more entries to help with loading. This is out of control, you guys. Enjoy?
Ok, so. This whole mess started in 2010 when all 5 of the guys auditioned for the X Factor. All five of them made it through bootcamp but were cut during the final elimination. The X Factor judges decided to put them together as a band.
Here's a link to another video with some different footage but that's still them being formed. Here's a gif!
I don't think that I can emphasize enough that they didn't really know each other here. They'd met on the most superficial level, and Harry and Louis and peed next to each other in the bathroom. Harry still immediately said yes, and Simon was like "woah there man, you need to think about this." So they went to Harry's stepdad's bungalow (I think it's in Manchester?) and spent a few weeks there getting to know each other.
First ever picture!
They became BFFs and did a lot of stupid shit and cuddled together on the floor while Liam went out into the dark to protect them from scary noises that might have just been a cow. They returned to the X Factor and shared a room for however many months they were on the show.
BABIES
They ended up placing 3rd. No one cares about the first and second place winners, although Zayn dated the second place girl. I'll get to that later, probably.
The whole thing about X Factor is that Simon only signs the winner to his label. However, he decided to sign One Direction even though they placed 3rd, so after the X Factor tour they recorded an album. I'm pretty sure they didn't write any of the music on it, but RedOne and Kelly Clarkson and a bunch of other famous people contributed. They like to describe their music as being like Pink!'s, but with boys.
They released their album in November and it got to #1 in like 17 countries or something crazy like that. They just released their first single in the US in February, and they came for a promotion tour in March. Over 5,000 fans went to their first US signing at the Natick mall, and they ended up scheduling an emergency concert at Madison Square Garden and playing SNL. And now they might be singing at the closing ceremonies for the Olympics? I don't know, man, they are becoming so big so fast.
Here are their audition videos from the worst to the best imo:
Louis singing Hey There Delilah (I think). I think this is worse than Niall's but I also think that it's just not a great recording/the acoustics weren't great, because all three judges voted yes for Louis.
Niall singing some song idk. This video gives me major motts because Niall's a bit of a dick, but apparently he's very likeable so there you go.
Zayn singing Let Me Love You
Harry singing Stevie Wonder and Simon loving it:
Liam sings Cry Me a River (not Justin Timberlake) and gets a standing ovation from Simon:
This video is just super adorable and Liam is REALLY good.
They've come so far. And now they're a foolish boyband with millions of fans worldwide.
They used to have uniforms that they would wear for pretty much every concert/interview:
Harry would wear t-shirts with blazers and bow ties. Liam usually wore plaid shirts buttoned up all the way or vests (not the British meaning). Louis wore suspenders, stripes, and brightly colored pants. Niall wore polos or sweaters and sweatshirts and comfy things, and Zayn wore varsity jackets and sweaters but in a more "urban" way.
Here are their first music videos!
What Makes You Beautiful, probably the most ubiquitous One Direction song ever. I'd recommend watching the behind the scenes video. When this was filmed, Louis was the only one who could drive, so he drove the VW bus around. He got pulled over not once but TWICE. Once for cutting off a police officer and once for driving too slowly haha.
Gotta Be You, in which Liam is worried about making a mess upon someone's innocence since they're all going off to boarding school and looking melancholy. But then there's a fire and everything is ok!
One Thing, which is probably my favorite of their old music videos. They look so happy! It features the Inbetweeners dance, which has become kind of a Thing for them. Or it used to be, at least. They would always do it during concerts. This is their last truly wholesome music video.
After accidentally touring the world because they didn't realize how many extra shows they'd schedule, they released a second album called "Take Me Home." I think it's much better than their first album, soz Jenn. They have a bunch of songwriting credits on it, and it's a bit heavier on the guitar and bass. They've stopped wearing uniforms for their shows and have started wearing tank tops and snapbacks, which is kind of wonderful. They've also discovered tattoos.
After their current tour, which hits up Europe, North and South America, Australia (I think) and possibly some parts of Asia, they're going on another tour of Europe where they're literally only playing arenas. They've played the O2 in London a bunch of times and they're playing one football arena in Ireland twice because the first show sold out. Basically they have a crazy CRAZY number of fans. They filmed a movie during the making of their album and the current tour, which is beng released in late August, and they're working on another album right now. Here are their music videos from their singles from this album:
Live While You're Young, which is essentially about the band going to a music festival/summer camp and learning about drugs and partying. They also have a new stupid dance (rowing a canoe? really?) which they do in a bunch of their concerts now too.
Little Things, which was written by Ed Sheeran. (they're friends btw idk if you knew that?) There's a lot of wank about this song because a lot of people don't like the lyrics but I think it's all about personal preferences/experiences so feel free to make your own decision.
Kiss You, which is just super fun and ridiculous. There's an alternate version, which is below, which is even more fun and ridiculous. If you're not sure which videos to watch, only watch Kiss You!
They've also been getting involved in charities and stuff. For example, they released a cover of One Way or Another by Blondie mashed up with Teenage Kicks by the Undertones, which you can view below.
They've also teamed up with Office Depot in an anti-bullying campaign. I'm sure they've done other things but I'm getting bored of updating this so... onto individual band members!
Part 2: Liam
Ok, so. This whole mess started in 2010 when all 5 of the guys auditioned for the X Factor. All five of them made it through bootcamp but were cut during the final elimination. The X Factor judges decided to put them together as a band.
Here's a link to another video with some different footage but that's still them being formed. Here's a gif!
I don't think that I can emphasize enough that they didn't really know each other here. They'd met on the most superficial level, and Harry and Louis and peed next to each other in the bathroom. Harry still immediately said yes, and Simon was like "woah there man, you need to think about this." So they went to Harry's stepdad's bungalow (I think it's in Manchester?) and spent a few weeks there getting to know each other.
First ever picture!
They became BFFs and did a lot of stupid shit and cuddled together on the floor while Liam went out into the dark to protect them from scary noises that might have just been a cow. They returned to the X Factor and shared a room for however many months they were on the show.
BABIES
They ended up placing 3rd. No one cares about the first and second place winners, although Zayn dated the second place girl. I'll get to that later, probably.
The whole thing about X Factor is that Simon only signs the winner to his label. However, he decided to sign One Direction even though they placed 3rd, so after the X Factor tour they recorded an album. I'm pretty sure they didn't write any of the music on it, but RedOne and Kelly Clarkson and a bunch of other famous people contributed. They like to describe their music as being like Pink!'s, but with boys.
They released their album in November and it got to #1 in like 17 countries or something crazy like that. They just released their first single in the US in February, and they came for a promotion tour in March. Over 5,000 fans went to their first US signing at the Natick mall, and they ended up scheduling an emergency concert at Madison Square Garden and playing SNL. And now they might be singing at the closing ceremonies for the Olympics? I don't know, man, they are becoming so big so fast.
Here are their audition videos from the worst to the best imo:
Louis singing Hey There Delilah (I think). I think this is worse than Niall's but I also think that it's just not a great recording/the acoustics weren't great, because all three judges voted yes for Louis.
Niall singing some song idk. This video gives me major motts because Niall's a bit of a dick, but apparently he's very likeable so there you go.
Zayn singing Let Me Love You
Harry singing Stevie Wonder and Simon loving it:
Liam sings Cry Me a River (not Justin Timberlake) and gets a standing ovation from Simon:
This video is just super adorable and Liam is REALLY good.
They've come so far. And now they're a foolish boyband with millions of fans worldwide.
They used to have uniforms that they would wear for pretty much every concert/interview:
Harry would wear t-shirts with blazers and bow ties. Liam usually wore plaid shirts buttoned up all the way or vests (not the British meaning). Louis wore suspenders, stripes, and brightly colored pants. Niall wore polos or sweaters and sweatshirts and comfy things, and Zayn wore varsity jackets and sweaters but in a more "urban" way.
Here are their first music videos!
What Makes You Beautiful, probably the most ubiquitous One Direction song ever. I'd recommend watching the behind the scenes video. When this was filmed, Louis was the only one who could drive, so he drove the VW bus around. He got pulled over not once but TWICE. Once for cutting off a police officer and once for driving too slowly haha.
Gotta Be You, in which Liam is worried about making a mess upon someone's innocence since they're all going off to boarding school and looking melancholy. But then there's a fire and everything is ok!
One Thing, which is probably my favorite of their old music videos. They look so happy! It features the Inbetweeners dance, which has become kind of a Thing for them. Or it used to be, at least. They would always do it during concerts. This is their last truly wholesome music video.
After accidentally touring the world because they didn't realize how many extra shows they'd schedule, they released a second album called "Take Me Home." I think it's much better than their first album, soz Jenn. They have a bunch of songwriting credits on it, and it's a bit heavier on the guitar and bass. They've stopped wearing uniforms for their shows and have started wearing tank tops and snapbacks, which is kind of wonderful. They've also discovered tattoos.
After their current tour, which hits up Europe, North and South America, Australia (I think) and possibly some parts of Asia, they're going on another tour of Europe where they're literally only playing arenas. They've played the O2 in London a bunch of times and they're playing one football arena in Ireland twice because the first show sold out. Basically they have a crazy CRAZY number of fans. They filmed a movie during the making of their album and the current tour, which is beng released in late August, and they're working on another album right now. Here are their music videos from their singles from this album:
Live While You're Young, which is essentially about the band going to a music festival/summer camp and learning about drugs and partying. They also have a new stupid dance (rowing a canoe? really?) which they do in a bunch of their concerts now too.
Little Things, which was written by Ed Sheeran. (they're friends btw idk if you knew that?) There's a lot of wank about this song because a lot of people don't like the lyrics but I think it's all about personal preferences/experiences so feel free to make your own decision.
Kiss You, which is just super fun and ridiculous. There's an alternate version, which is below, which is even more fun and ridiculous. If you're not sure which videos to watch, only watch Kiss You!
They've also been getting involved in charities and stuff. For example, they released a cover of One Way or Another by Blondie mashed up with Teenage Kicks by the Undertones, which you can view below.
They've also teamed up with Office Depot in an anti-bullying campaign. I'm sure they've done other things but I'm getting bored of updating this so... onto individual band members!
Part 2: Liam
