that spring.
It was clear to anyone who knew them that these boys would work hard for their success. Their energy and passion for their new-found careers was contagious and once their first tour was complete, they excitedly headed straight into the studio to record their debut album with a brilliant team of well-respected writers and producers – including Rami Yacoub (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi), Steve Mac (Westlife, JLS, Leona Lewis) and Red One (Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Sean Kingston).
“Basically, name one of the biggest hits of the past ten years, and the guys we worked with will be behind them,” notes Niall, excitedly. “To even meet them was incredible. To work with them was even better!”
By the time Up All Night was released in October 2011, Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis had already achieved their first No.1 single with What Makes You Beautiful (Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha). It became the biggest single pre-order in Sony’s history and the biggest track of the summer – selling an incredible 153,000 copies in its first week of release. The album followed suit, collecting the accolade of ‘fastest-selling album of 2011’. And it didn’t stop there...
Going Global
While the UK continued to celebrate the success of this new pop phenomenon, the news came that One Direction had signed a record deal in North America with Colombia Records. It was now February 2012 and the boys were out touring the US and promoting their debut single on world- famous TV programmes such as Saturday Night Live and The Today Show.
Their hard work paid off - What Makes You Beautiful went in at No.3 on US iTunes – the highest ever single chart position for a UK band. And at the same time, the boys were beginning to be recognised for their staggering popularity and impressive sales figures.
In between playing the US shows, they were travelling between Los Angeles and London to pick up a string of prestigious awards. Also in February 2012, they won their first BRIT Award for Best Single – a tremendous achievement for any up and coming artist. “I was genuinely quite close to tears,” says Harry quietly, thinking back to the moment he was on stage collecting the award.
Liam interjects, “It’s amazing to think back 8 full on!
to when we were first put together. Things have moved so quickly, it’s got all of us in a massive state of shock. It’s so surreal to think of everything - like winning the BRIT, doing our first UK tour, having our first number one. I can’t believe all of this has happened to us five lucky guys.”
All the while, hundreds of thousands of US fans were buying the debut album, and in March 2012, it was announced that Up All Night had entered the US Billboard chart at number one – a first for a British band and a sure sign that the boys had officially cracked America! In April they were awarded a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award for Favourite UK artist. Three MTV Video Music Awards followed, and then three MTV Europe Music Awards – including ones for Best New Act and Best UK & Ireland Act.
Harry smiles, “We actually can’t believe we got a number one album in America. We’re just teenage boys, how did that happen? And now we get to play some incredible venues out there. We’re so lucky.”
It wasn’t just America either – Up All Night shot to number one in 17 different countries across the planet, including Australia, Sweden and Mexico. The group celebrated this astounding achievement by taking their tour from the USA to Australia and New Zealand – but not before announcing their most spectacular concert yet - a headline show at the incredible Madison Square Garden, New York – a place that has seen the likes of Michael Jackson, Elton John, Madonna and The Rolling Stones perform on the same grounds.
“You’re never going to get used to having
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