One Direction
One Direction at the 54th Logies Awards. From left to right: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson.
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Pop
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Syco, Columbia
Associated acts	The X Factor finalists 2010
Website	onedirectionmusic.com
Members
Niall Horan Zayn Malik Liam Payne Harry Styles Louis Tomlinson

One Direction are a British-Irish boy band consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They signed to Simon Cowell's record label Syco Records^[1] after being formed and placing third in the seventh series of The X Factor. They later signed in North America to Columbia Records.^[2]

In November 2011, One Direction released their debut album Up All Night, which became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK of 2011.^[3] In 2012, it debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making One Direction the first UK group in history to debut at number one with their first album in the country.^[4][5] Up All Night spawned the Official UK Singles Chart top ten singles — "What Makes You Beautiful", "Gotta Be You", and "One Thing". In 2012, "What Makes You Beautiful" won the BRIT Award for Best British Single.^[6]

One Direction's world tour is set for 2013, with tickets grossing US$15.7 million for their Australian and New Zealand dates.^[7] They have been described as sparking a resurgence in boy bands, and of forming part of a new "British Invasion" in the United States together with artists such as Adele. One Direction has endorsements with Pokémon, Nokia, HarperCollins and Hasbro. In April 2012, One Direction's combined net worth was estimated at £10 million.^[8]

History[link]

[edit] 2010: The X Factor and formation

Wembley Arena, London, England, where the formation of One Direction took place during the "Bootcamp" stage of the competition.^[10]

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, they were put together to form the five-piece boy band One Direction, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category.^[11] The newly formed boy band had five weeks^[9] to gel as a group before the next stage of the competition. The group got together for week-long practice sessions in Manchester in a bungalow at the bottom of Styles's stepfather's garden to get to know each other, and to practice. Malik said: "we didn't know what a harmony was. We all just sang in unison for two weeks." Payne agreed: "we just threw ideas around. The first few days were quite tough. We all had different ideas but we didn't really know what a group was about." Styles came up band name One Direction as he thought it would sound good when X Factor announcer Peter Dickson read their name out on the live shows. Tomlinson added: "Harry texted us to ask what we thought and it was one of those were we all just said, 'Yes' straight away. We all entered the competition with one thing in mind and that was to go to the top, so it worked. And it can be abbreviated to 1D!"^[12]

In the live shows they covered songs by musical acts; Pink, Coldplay, The Beatles, Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, Snow Patrol and Rihanna, among others. After the elimination of F.Y.D., Diva Fever and Belle Amie within four weeks, they were Simon Cowell's last act in the competition. The group quickly gained popularity in UK. Cowell commented, "once they were on the show, it was unusual because in an instant, we had hundreds of fans outside the studio. That doesn't happen very often. The more I got to know them, the more I liked them and the more I trusted them. They had good taste and they understood the kind of group they wanted to be. They didn't want to be molded. I'm not interested in working with people like that either. They had their own views and they all brought something special to the table."^[9]

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.^[13] The group said that the experience was a learning curve, Payne saying: "normally when you put together a band they have some time to go away and do development but we had to do that on a live competition, in front of 20 million people. If you make a mistake in front of an audience like that, you get voted out. We had no room for error whatsoever. We had to grow up very, very fast." Tomlinson added, "We were gutted when we didn't win. But then we just started to reflect on it and we thought, we were the last group there, the youngest in the competition, and we didn't even know each other months ago. And when you look at it like that, we did really well. Some people say X Factor is an easy ride and a queue jump to fame. But we came from nothing, and had no experience as a group at all. And for me, by the time we came to the end of the show, we were a completely different group. We worked so hard, and achieved so much."^[12]

[edit] 2011–12: Up All Night, touring, and breakthrough

One Direction performing on the X Factor Live Tour, April 2011, the tour saw the group performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[14]

In January 2011, One Direction signed a £2 million record contract with Cowell's company Syco Records. Recalling signing with Syco Records, Styles said: "We wanted to win and coming third was a big disappointment. So to find out we were signed was incredible. Simon Cowell was telling you your life was about to change! It was weird. Coming from our first audition to being signed by Syco is a huge journey".^[12] Cowell also stated, "This was such an important signing, we let three or four of the Sony labels make a presentation. I didn't automatically give it to my own label. I thought, "This is so important, if somebody can come up with a better idea..." I was actually willing to pass them along to another division of Sony because I thought the group were that important. I thought they were going to be so massive, I was prepared to do that. I let my own team work independently. They actually did come back with the best plan. I felt they understood the group better. It was good. I was able to give my own label the group."^[9] In November 2011, they signed a record deal with Columbia Records in North America.^[15] Steve Barnett, the co-chairman of Columbia Records, said it was not a difficult decision to sign One Direction. "Other artists in that category had gotten a little older," he said. "I just thought there was a void, and maybe they could seize and hold it."^[16] One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011. The tour saw the group performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[17] They recorded their debut album entitled, Up All Night in Sweden, United States and the United Kingdom. The album features One Direction collaborating with Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, RedOne, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Fletcher, Steve Mac, Toby Gad and Carl Falk.

One Direction released their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" on 11 September 2011.^[18] The song broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music Entertainment.^[19] It entered the UK Singles Chart at number one on 18 September 2011, shifting 153,965 copies that week—the highest first-week UK sales for any song in 2011 at the time^[20] and in the Irish Singles Chart it remained at number one for four weeks.^[21] As of 8 May 2012, "What Makes You Beautiful" had become the ninety-second best selling single of the 21st Century in the UK.^[22] It was released in the U.S. in February 2012^[23], where it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number twenty-eight,^[24] becoming the highest Billboard Hot 100 debut for a UK act since 1998.^[24] It went on to peak at number four and as of 21 May 2012, has sold 2,060,303 copies in the US.^[25] One Direction released their second single "Gotta Be You" on 13 November. It reached a peak of number three on the UK Singles Chart.^[26][27]

One Direction first official appearance in Canada received overwhelming reception, officials were forced to shut down the street outside of the Toronto headquarters of MuchMusic, where One Direction stopped by to make their first appearance on Canadian television. Screaming fans lined the Toronto street behind barriers.^[28]In the United States, One Direction made their first television appearance on The Today Show at the Rockefeller Center, 12 March 2012. In January 2012, Melissa Lonner, senior entertainment producer for NBC's Today Show, booked One Direction, she scheduled the group for a routine in-studio performance. But once news broke that the fivesome would be at 30 Rock, a deluge of fan emails flooded the show's inbox, forcing NBC to relocate the appearance to Rockefeller Plaza. That was when the New York City Police Department got involved. Spurred by reports of swelling public appearances by the band in other markets like Toronto and Boston, the latter of which attracting an estimated 5,000 screaming fans to Natick Mall. When One Direction appeared in midtown Manhattan on 12 March 2012, an estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza, spilling onto the surrounding streets. The crowd ranked among the biggest The Today Show has seen, with only Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Chris Brown having drawn that kind of turnout to date. "Keep in mind, Justin [Bieber] and Chris [Brown] have had hits in the U.S. and are known in the U.S.," Lonner said. "One Direction is relatively unknown with no hits yet. They basically exploded, and all the adults are saying, 'Who are these people, and how do they know about it?'"^[29][30] Following their popularity in North America, they were noted for the re surge of the boy band and led them to being dubbed as the new "British Invasion".^{[31][32][33][34][35]}

Their debut album is predominately a pop music record, which orientates into dance pop, teen pop, pop rock and power pop, containing electro pop and rock influences. The album received generally positive reviews from music critics.^[36] Critics complimented the album for its appeal to teen audience.^{[37][38][39][40]} Up All Night entered the UK Albums Chart at number two selling 138,631 copies, the highest sales for a number two album in 2011, and became the fastest-selling debut album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011.^[3][41] The album topped the charts in Australia, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden; reaching the top ten in a total of twenty countries. It was released in North America, March 2012, the album entered the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart at number one, making One Direction the first ever UK group in history to debut at number one with their debut album in both countries.^[42][43][44] As of 13 May 2012, the album had sold 608,382 copies in the UK.^[45] As of 30 May 2012, the album had sold 697,000 copies in the United States.^[46]

One Direction performing in Sydney during their Up All Night Tour, April 2012.

On 6 January 2012, One Direction released "One Thing" as the second single outside of UK and Ireland,^[47]. It was released in the UK as the third single on 13 February 2012.^[48] In the UK, "One Thing" peaked at number nine, becoming the third consecutive top ten single from Up All Night.^[49] "One Thing" despite not being released as a single in U.S. peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Hot 100.^[50] Ballad "More Than This" has been confirmed to be released as the fourth single.^[51]

On 26 September 2011, One Direction announced their debut headline UK tour, the Up All Night Tour, set for December 2011 and January 2012.^[52] In February and March 2012, One Direction announced Oceania and North American legs of the tour with dates set for April to July 2012.^[53][54] The total 62-show tour sold out completely.^{[55][56][57][58]} On the tour One Direction covered Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody", Gym Class Heroes's "Stereo Hearts", The Zutons's "Valerie", Ednaswap's "Torn" and The Black Eyed Peas's "I Gotta Feeling".^[59] A recording of their tour, entitled Up All Night: The Live Tour was released in late May 2012.^[60][61] The group were credited for singing live on the tour by Rolling Stone,^[62] The National Post^[63], Jam! Canoe,^[64] The Toronto Star,^[65] and The New York Times.^[66] 21 February 2012, One Direction attended the 2012 Brit Awards. The group received the BRIT Award for Best British Single.^[67] During One Direction's acceptance speech for their BRIT Award, Payne stated the group would embark on their first arena tour in 2013.^[68]

As of 9 April 2012, One Direction are being sued for trademark infringement by a low profile Californian music group who go by the same name. According to the lawsuit, the U.S. band has been using the name since 2009, recorded two albums and filed an application to register the trademark name in the U.S. in February 2011. The U.S. band say they are entitled to three times the profits made by the UK band, as well as compensatory damages in excess of US$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.^[69] On 13 April, 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."^[70]

2012–present: Untitled second album and world tour[link]

Main article: 2013 World Tour

In May 2012, One Direction began recording their second studio album in Sweden.^[71][72] In April 2012, the group disclosed that they wanted to contribute more to the songwriting for their second album. Styles saying, "we're always writing on the road and in hotels and airports. We don’t ever want our music to sound like a 40-year-old man in an office has written it and given it to us to perform."^[73] The group also stated they're interest on collaborating with Ed Sheeran after they collaborated on the song "Moments" for their debut album.^[74] Sheeran also discussed an collaboration in an interview, he stated: "I’d like to go away and really write some wicked songs with them. I’ve got two songs that their manager emailed me for — old songs that were meant to go on my last album — a big stadium anthem."^[75] Talking about how they want their new material to sound, Tomlinson stated: "We want to take the next album into a different zone — more guitars and grungier. We like the sound of a real guitar on tour, we beefed up the live show so now we want to take it onto the album."^[76]

One Direction's world tour is set to begin in February 2013.^[77][78] The tour thus far consists of 101 shows in Europe, North America and Australasia. In the UK and Ireland, ticket sales reached 300,000 within a day of release respectively, which included a six date sell out at London's The O₂ Arena.^[79][80] In North America, the group added additional shows due to "overwhelming demand".^[81] In Australian and New Zealand markets, tickets grossed US$15.7 million, with all 190,000 tickets being sold for eighteen shows to be held in Australia and New Zealand.^[7][82]

Image[link]

One Direction greet Swedish fans in Stockholm, May 2012.

Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph published an article on the nature of One Direction's success in North America. Noting that Americans had left a gap in the market stating that it took prominence of Justin Bieber to demonstrate that there was still a market for "clean cut, wholesome, middle class parent friendly pop: cute boys advocating puppy love. And what could be better than one cute boy, if not five?".^[83] One Direction has been labelled as the new British Invasion.^{[31][32][33][34][35]} Bill Werde, a representative of Billboard Magazine commented. "There's a lot of possibility here, there's a lot of upside, that level of talent with those kinds of looks, it's really a perfect storm for a massive, massive successful phenomenon."^[84]

Sonny Takhar, the managing director of Syco Records, attributes the breakthrough to the power of social media. "Sometimes you feel the song's the star, but it's not like that here – it's the act," he says. "It's a real moment. Social media has become the new radio, it's never broken an act globally like this before."^[84] In March 2012, Yahoo! News published statistics from Google's keyword tool, showing that on average, 3.35 million people are searching for One Direction related search phrases each month.^[85] Their management employs a social media team, the members all tweet themselves, "which helps create the illusion that they couldn't be any closer to their fans." One Direction's Twitter account had amassed 3.9 million followers as of May 2012, with the account gaining followers at an average of 20,000 per day.^[86] Each member is known for their feature; Horan is "the cute one", Malik is "the quiet and mysterious one", Payne is "the sensible one", Styles is "the charming one" and Tomlinson is "the funny one."^[87]

Horan commented on One Direction as a boy band, saying: "People think that a boyband is air-grabs and being dressed in all one colour. We're boys in a band. We’re trying to do something different from what people would think is the typical kind of boyband. We’re trying to do different kinds of music and we’re just trying to be ourselves, not squeaky clean."^[88]

Other ventures[link]

The first One Direction-licensed book, One Direction: Forever Young (Our Official X Factor Story), was released on 17 February 2011.^[89] Published by HarperCollins, the book contains personal snaps, unseen photographs and backstage footage both from The X Factor and the X Factor Live Tour, as well as written accounts of every member of the band.^[90] The book reached the number one spot on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.^[91] One Direction: The Official Annual 2012, was published on 1 September 2011. The book includes exclusive interviews, up to the minute news and information, and never before seen photos of the band.^[92] On 15 September 2011, One Direction released Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction.^[93] Like the other books, it contains exclusive unseen photos of the band on and off stage, along with private captured moments. Dare to Dream was also able to secure the top spot on the Sunday Times Non Fiction Hardback Bestseller list.^[94] Dare to Dream was released in the United States on 22 May 2012.^[95]

One Direction performing "Moments" in Toronto, February 2012.

One Direction has also released its first calendar for 2012, the One Direction 2012 Calendar. On 15 December 2011, amazon.com revealed that One Direction have achieved the top selling calendar of all time, surpassing Cheryl Cole's Official Cheryl Cole 2011 Calendar and JLS's Official JLS 2011 Calendar in the UK.^[96] One Direction became the brand ambassadors for Pokémon Black and White in April 2011. They starred in a series of television ads, as well as special events performing for and meeting fans.^[97] They also launched limited edition Nokia C2-02 and Nokia C3-00 phones. They contain exclusive content such as One Direction wallpapers, ringtones, and behind the scenes videos of the band.^[98] In April 2012, Hasbro announced it will soon be producing toys, games and entertainment products, including dolls and mini-figures of the members.^[99][100]

Philanthropy[link]

In 2010, when One Direction were contestants on The X Factor, they and their fellow series seventh contestants released a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes" in aid of Help for Heroes. The song, said to have been recorded in the week beginning 18 October 2010, was released as a charity single in aid of Help for Heroes, a charity which supports injured servicemen and women.^[101] The music video for the charity single was filmed on 2 November^[102] at Three Mills Studios.^[103] All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November's results show.^[104] The single entered both the Irish Singles Chart on 25 November 2010 and the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 2010 at number 1.^[105][106] In March 2012, One Direction took part in Sport Relief's Twitrelief, it features celebrities "selling themselves online." "Up for grabs are loads of goodies which the public can bid for, ranging from the chance to be followed by their favourite celebrity on Twitter to bagging lunch with their favorite star."^[107] The proceeds raised were spent helping people living tough lives, both in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.^[107]

In 2012, One Direction contributed to the book Dish for a Wish. The fundraiser cookbook also features contributions from Gwyneth Paltrow, Myleene Klass, Gordon Ramsay, among others. The proceeds from sales of the book benefit the Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity, an organization that grants the wishes of sick children in the UK.^[108][109] On 9 May 2012, One Direction visited the ill children of the charity. After the visit, the charity's representative tweeted, "thanks to One Direction for a fantastic Rays of Sunshine wish morning today! Lots of wishes granted!"^{[110][111][112]} In April 2012, One Direction teamed up with Charitybuzz to help raise money in aid for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. VIP tickets to meet the band in person on their North American leg of their Up All Night Tour were made available with the proceeds going to the children's charity.^[113][114] In April 2012, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the American Red Cross joined forces to help more people prepare to survive and recover from California’s next damaging earthquake, and to support a unique online auction that benefits local Red Cross preparedness and response programs. One Direction took part in the auction which included unique auction items to meet the band. From 4 April through 27 April 2012, Californians had an opportunity to bid on the auction items. Every dollar donated through the auction supported American Red Cross preparedness and response programs in California.^[115]

Members[link]

Niall Horan.

Niall Horan[link]

Niall James Horan, born (1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 18), is from Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland, born to mother Maura Gallagher and father Bobby Horan.^[116] He has an older brother Greg.^[117] Their parents divorced when he was five. He and his brother lived between each of their homes for a few years before eventually deciding to live with their father in Mullingar. His mother remarried and lives in Edgeworthstown, County Longford with Chris, her husband of seven years.^[116] He was a pupil at Coláiste Mhuire, a boys' Christian Brothers school.^[118][119] Horan was in the school choir, performing seasonally around Christmas.^[12] Prior to participating in The X Factor, he performed around his homeland, including as a support act for Lloyd Daniels in Dublin. Horan has been playing guitar since childhood. In an interview he referred to his guitar as "the best present I ever received for Christmas."^[120] Horan revealed his parents took note of his singing during a car trip, "my aunt said she thought the radio was on. Exactly the same thing happened to Michael Bublé with his dad. He's my absolute hero so I like the fact we have a similar story."^[121]

On auditioning for The X Factor, he said "I'm 16 and I want to be a big name like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber," he said. "I've been compared to him a few times and it's not a bad comparison. I want to sell out arenas, make an album and work with some of the best artists in the world."^[122] Horan said "I was always the kid that picked up the nearest instrument and just loved music." He has also stated that he is a "big swing" fan, noting older and current artists Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Michael Bublé among his influences. Horan also cites rock music, he is a fan of The Eagles, Bon Jovi and The Script.^[123][124] Additionally he cites recording artist Ed Sheeran as an influence. When Sheeran and One Direction collaborated on the song "Moments" for their debut album, he said it as an honor to work with him.^[125] In 2012, Horan revealed that he has had a fear of birds – known as ornithophobia — since he was attacked by a pigeon as a child.^[126]

Zayn Malik.

Zayn Malik[link]

Zain Javadd "Zayn" Malik^[127][128], born (1993-01-12) 12 January 1993 (age 19) in St. Luke's Hospital, is from West Lane, Bradford, England.^[129] Born to British Pakistani father Yaser and an English mother, Tricia Malik (née Brannan), he has three sisters Doniya, Waliyha and Safaa.^[119][130] He grew up in East Bowling, located south of the Bradford city centre. Malik was a pupil at Lower Fields Primary School in East Bowling and went to Tong High School, a state comprehensive school.^[131] He stated that as a child "I was a bit of a handful when I was a kid because I was quite hyperactive. Even in the house my mum used to put me in my pram because I was so full-on." Malik didn't fit in at his first two schools due to his mixed heritage, revealing that when he and his sister moved schools he felt he fitted in better.^[132]

On auditioning for the X Factor, Malik, said "I was looking for an experience". He cites urban music as his main musical influence. Growing up, he was into R&B and rap.^[132][133] For his X Factor audition, he performed the Mario R&B song "Let Me Love You". He as well as other members of One Direction further notes artists such as Bruno Mars, as a "dream collaborator."^[134] Malik dated fellow X Factor contestant, Rebecca Ferguson, which caused controversy due to the six year age difference. The relationship ended after four months together. In November 2011, Ferguson addressed the media interest, saying: "When I was in a relationship with Zayn it was quite hard, but it comes with it. Me and Zayn just grew apart. I wish him all the best."^[135] In 2011, Malik also commented, "Even though it was a mutual decision, when you have a proper heartache like that, I don't think you fully get over it. We're still friends and talk all the time."^[136] Malik is addicted to smoking cigarettes.^[137] He has seven tattoos: a Yin Yang on his wrist, a picture of crossed fingers on his forearm, his grandfather's name Walter in Arabic on his chest, a "born lucky" symbol, a playing card on his stomach, a silver fern on his neck and an inscription across his collarbone.^[138][139]

Liam Payne.

Liam Payne[link]

Liam James Payne^[140], born (1993-08-29) 29 August 1993 (age 18), is from Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Born three weeks early to mother Karen and father Geoff,^[141] he has two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.^[119] Until the age of four, Payne had regular tests done in hospital as doctors noticed one of his kidneys was scarred and dysfunctional. To help cope with the pain, he had 32 injections in his arm in the morning and evening as a child.^[142] Growing up, his mother would juggle shifts as a nursery nurse to accompany him on all his auditions.^[116] Payne was bullied in secondary school and took up boxing lessons, saying he "needed to find a way to defend myself, I was, at 12 years old, fighting the 38-year-old trainer. I broke my nose, had a perforated eardrum and I was always coming home with a bruised, puffy face. But it gave me confidence. I got pretty good over the next couple of years."^[132] In 2011, he commented, "I went and told my parents and my teachers, but it didn't stop so I had to sort it out myself. I was in year eight and they were sixth-formers. I got this guy I knew, who was in his early twenties, to pretend to be my big brother and pick me up from school."^[136] In 2012, in an interview with The New Zealand Herald on advocating how to deal with bullying, Payne stated, "you have to tell someone", adding "you have to stand up to it, you make yourself a target, you make yourself easy to be picked on and just let things happen, that's what happens, but when you do something, your active about it, you make sure somethings being done about it then it will slowly stop."^[143] He was a music technology student at City of Wolverhampton College.^[144]

Payne first auditioned in 2008 to The X Factor's fifth series when he was fourteen. He made it to the judges' houses, but Cowell thought he was not ready for the competition and asked him to come back in two years. Payne cites Justin Timberlake as one of his biggest influences. He also says he draws inspiration from Take That member Gary Barlow when performing.^[145] Regarding his one functional kidney Payne said "I have to be careful not to drink too much, even water, and I have to keep myself as healthy as possible."^[146] He is currently in a relationship with dancer, Danielle Peazer.^[147] They met on The X Factor in 2010 and have been in a relationship ever since.^[148] The backing dancer for The Saturdays and Jessie J has received death threats and other forms of cyber bullying on social networking site Twitter, due to her relationship with Payne.^[149]

Harry Styles[link]

Harry Styles.

Harry Edward Styles, born (1994-02-01) 1 February 1994 (age 18) in Evesham, Worcestershire^[150][151] is from village Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England. He is a former pupil at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, a state comprehensive school.^[152] Born to mother Anne Cox and father Des Styles^[116], he has an older sister, Gemma,^[119] he was seven when their parents divorced; his mother later remarried to Robin Twist. Regarding his parents divorce he said, "that was quite a weird time. I remember crying about it. I didn’t really get what was going on properly, I was just sad that my parents wouldn't be together any more." Following the divorce, Styles, his older sister and his mother moved further out into the Cheshire countryside. At the age of twelve he moved back to Holmes Chapel. That was when his mother met his stepfather Robin Twist. Styles said he was "really pleased" when Twist proposed to his mother. Styles was the lead singer for the band White Eskimo with band members lead guitarist Haydn Morris, bass guitarist Nick Clough and drummer Will Sweeny.^[153] They had once entered a Battle of the Bands competition, which they won.^[12]

As a child, Styles loved singing, noting Elvis Presley as one of his influences. He also cites Presley for his musical beginnings.^[154] Styles also cites current musical acts, Foster the People, Coldplay and Kings of Leon among his influences. "We want to have a little bit heavier guitars, bigger drums, more of a live feel, because that's what we like doing," Styles says for their next album, though he says that shouldn't be misinterpreted to mean the group is going "grungier". "Because we are 18 years old, it's important that we like what we’re doing as well. It wouldn't be good if we weren’t enjoying what we're doing, and we are."^[88] Styles says that he often looks to Coldplay front man Chris Martin for inspiration when performing on stage.^[145] Styles also states that The Beatles had a profound influence on him growing up, as his father would play their music. "I still listen to their music over and over again. They are absolute icons and an inspiration," he said.^[155] Styles states that he likes being nude, citing it as "very liberating, I feel so free."^[154] He briefly dated English TV presenter Caroline Flack, which caused widespread media controversy over their fifteen-year age gap.^[156] Styles currently resides with band member Tomlinson in north London.^[157]

Louis Tomlinson.

Louis Tomlinson[link]

Louis William Tomlinson, born (1991-12-24) 24 December 1991 (age 20)^[158], is from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Born to mother Johannah and father Troy. Johannah split from his father Troy when he was young and he took on his stepfather Mark Tomlinson's last name.^[116] He has four younger step-sisters: Charlotte, Félicité, and twins Daisy and Phoebe. Daisy and Phoebe had roles as babies on a show called Fat Friends, he would go along and serve as an extra. After Fat Friends, he attended an acting school in Barnsley. He had small parts in an ITV1 drama called If I Had You, and BBC's Waterloo Road. He was a sixth form student at Hall Cross School, a state comprehensive school, and a former pupil of the Hayfield School. He revealed that he failed his first year of A levels at the Hayfield School, "mainly because I’d been too busy having fun. I was out all the time in that first year." He ended up going back to Hall Cross and started A levels over again.^[154] As a student at Hall Cross, Tomlinson starred in several musical productions.^[159]

He cites English recording artist and Take That member Robbie Williams as his biggest influence and idol. In an interview with Now Magazine he stated: "I've always loved Robbie. He's just so cheeky, he can get away with anything. His performances are unbelievable. We met a lot of celebrities on The X Factor and he was one of the nicest."^[160] He also cites recording artist Ed Sheeran, describing the artist as "phenomenal."^[161] He currently resides with band member Styles in North London.^[157] Tomlinson is currently in a relationship with Manchester University student Eleanor Calder.^[162][163] In 2011, Tomlinson told of his heartbreak after his mother Johannah and step-father Mark announced they were getting a divorce.^[164]

Discography[link]

• Up All Night (2011)

Tours[link]

• Up All Night Tour (2011—12)
• 2013 World Tour (2013)

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Publications[link]

• One Direction: Forever Young, HarperCollins (17 February 2011) ISBN 978-0-00-743230-1
• One Direction: The Official Annual 2012, HarperCollins (1 September 2011) ISBN 978-0-00-743625-5
• Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction, HarperCollins (15 September 2011) ISBN 978-0-00-744439-7

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: One Direction

• Official website
• One Direction on Twitter
• One Direction on Facebook

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since October 2009. The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed. Tagged since October 2009. It may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since October 2009.

Theater and film director, movie producer. Born 12 December 1934 in Bucharest, Romania, deceased 5 May 1996 in New York, USA. He left behind his wife of 32 years, and their daughter.

Education[link]

MA (Cinematography and Film Direction), Ion Luca Caragiale University Bucharest, 1958; PhD (Social Psychology), City University of New York (CUNY), 1974. At CUNY he studied with Stanley Milgram, who later became his colleague.

Cinematic and dramatic achievements[link]

Film Director at the Sahia Film Studio, Bucharest 1959-61; Movie reviewer for the Bucharest Press 1958-60.

Chamber Theater, Tel Aviv 1962-63, artistic drector of the Comedia Theater Tel Aviv 1963-66; Artistic advisor for Tel Aviv Municipality 1962-66.

Member of the Jerusalem Theatre, Israel 1964.

Recipient of the Jerusalem Theatre for Youth Award.

Independent director, writer, producer for various organizations including Time Life Films, Harper & Row, NYC 1969-77.

Director and producer of the Off-Broadway Rhinoceros (play), 1970.

Director, producer, and co-writer (Movies) The City and the Self(*), 1972; Psychodrama, 1973; Invitation to Social Psychology(*), 1974; Conformity and Independence(*), 1975; Human Aggression(*), Nonverbal Communication(*), 1976; Night Patrol, 1977. (TV) Dr Berger Plan, 1986; Love is (a series of three one-hour shows), and a special TV program entitled 2090, 1990.

Five Silver Awards: NY International Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival Award, Ohio Film Festival Award, American Film Festival Award.

Member of the TV Academy of independent producers, of the Israeli Film Institute and of the American Film Institute.

Directed and shot the film Water Water Water in Venezuela, Bangladesh, Niger and China in 1994-96, but never completed it due to his untimely death.

Five of the films, marked with (*), were produced together with Stanley Milgram, the first two while Harry From was his graduate student.^[1]

Harry From and Mihail Sebastian[link]

His love for the Romanian writer Mihail Sebastian prompted him to create in 1994 the Mihail Sebastian Foundation and at the same time to obtain from Sebastian's family in Paris the nine hand-written notebooks that constituted Sebastian's diary of the fascist years, from 1935 to 1944. In the winter of 1994 he met in Paris Mr. Gabriel Liiceanu, the owner and president of the Publishing Co. Humanitas from Romania, and convinced him to publish the Sebastian's diary. Harry From never saw the printed Sebastian diary; he died six months before its publication.

References[link]

The City and the Self

1. ^ "Milgram's films". Dr. Thomas Blass. http://www.stanleymilgram.com/films.php. Retrieved 2009-09-22. 

Michael Jackson
Jackson at the White House in 1984
Background information
Birth name	Michael Joseph Jackson[1]
Also known as	King of Pop, MJ
Born	(1958-08-29)August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana, U.S.
Died	June 25, 2009(2009-06-25) (aged 50) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	R&B, pop, rock, soul, dance, funk, disco, new jack swing
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, record producer, actor, businessman, philanthropist
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1964–2009
Labels	Motown, Epic, Legacy, MJJ Productions
Associated acts	The Jackson 5 Michael Jackson's Signature
Website	www.michaeljackson.com

Michael Joseph Jackson^[1] (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Often referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ,^[2] Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene along with his brothers as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1964, and began his solo career in 1971.

In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music. The music videos for his songs, including those of "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller", were credited with transforming the medium into an art form and a promotional tool, and the popularity of these videos helped to bring the relatively new television channel MTV to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made him a staple on MTV in the 1990s. Through stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced numerous hip hop, post-disco, contemporary R&B, pop and rock artists.

Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which made him the most-awarded recording artist in the history of popular music.^[3] He was also one of the world's most prominent humanitarians and philanthropists; personally, and through his Heal the World Foundation, he donated more than $300 million in charity, and held the Guinness World Record for having supported the most charities out of any pop star.^[4][5]

Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury found him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series titled This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.^[6]

Life and career[link]

Early life and The Jackson 5 (1958–1975)[link]

Jackson's childhood home in Gary, Indiana, showing floral tributes after his death

Jackson (center) as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1972

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, the eighth of ten children in an African American working-class family who lived in a small 3-room house in Gary, Indiana,^[7] an industrial city near Chicago. His mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and his father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, was a steel mill worker who performed with an R&B band called The Falcons. Jackson had three sisters: Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet, and five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy.^[8] A sixth brother, Brandon, died shortly after birth.^[9]

Jackson had a troubled relationship with his father, Joe.^[10][11][12] Joseph acknowledged in 2003 that he regularly whipped Jackson as a boy.^[12] Jackson stated that he was physically and emotionally abused during incessant rehearsals, though he also credited his father's strict discipline with playing a large role in his success.^[10] Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, broadcast in February 1993. He admitted that he had often cried from loneliness and he would vomit on the sight of his father. Jackson's father was also said to have verbally abused Jackson, saying that he had a fat nose on numerous occasions.^[13] In fact, Michael Jackson's deep dissatisfaction with his appearance, his nightmares and chronic sleep problems, his tendency to remain hyper-compliant especially with his father, and to remain child-like throughout his adult life are in many ways consistent with the effects of this chronic maltreatment he endured as a young child.^[14]

In an interview with Martin Bashir, later included in the 2003 broadcast of Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson acknowledged that his father hurt him when he was a child, but was nonetheless a "genius", as he admitted his father's strict discipline played a huge role in his success. When Bashir dismissed the positive remark and continued asking about beatings, Jackson put his hand over his face and objected to the questions. He recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, and that "if you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you".^[15][16]

In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine. Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing. When he was eight, Jackson began sharing the lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5.^[8] The band toured the Midwest extensively from 1966 to 1968, frequently performing at a string of black clubs known as the "chitlin' circuit", where they often opened stripteases and other adult acts. In 1966, they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)", led by Michael.^[17]

The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy", for the local record label Steeltown in 1967, before signing with Motown Records in 1968.^[8] Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts," writing that he "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer."^[18] The group set a chart record when its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.^[8] Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There and Ben, released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise, and producing successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".

The Jackson 5 "became a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists... five working-class black boys with afros and bell bottoms, and they really didn't have to trade any of that stuff in order to become mainstream stars."^[19]

The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. Although they scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.^[20]

[edit] Move to Epic and Off the Wall (1975–81)

In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records^[20] and renamed themselves the Jacksons. Younger brother Randy formally joined the band around this time, while Jermaine left to pursue a solo career.^[21] They continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, during which Michael was the lead songwriter, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel", and "Can You Feel It".^[17] In 1978, he starred as the scarecrow in the musical, The Wiz, a box-office disaster. It was here that he teamed up with Quincy Jones, who was arranging the film's musical score. Jones agreed to produce Jackson's next solo album, Off the Wall.^[22] In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and subsequent operations.^[23]

Jones and Jackson produced the Off the Wall album together. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first solo album to generate four U.S. top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".^[24][25] It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.^[26] In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".^[27][28] That year, he also won Billboard Year-End for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, also for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".^[24] Jackson again won at the American Music Awards in 1981 for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.^[29] Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.^[30] In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit.^[31]

[edit] Thriller and Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1982–83)

In 1982, Jackson contributed the song "Someone In the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; the record won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1984. In the same year he won another seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards (including the Award of Merit, the youngest artist to win it), making him the most awarded in one night for both award shows.^[32][33] These awards were thanks to the Thriller album, released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide^[34][35] and became the best-selling album of all time in the United States,^[36] as well as the best-selling album of all time worldwide, selling an estimated 110 million copies so far.^[37] The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".^[38] Thriller was certified for 29 million shipments by the RIAA, giving it Double Diamond status in the United States. The album won also another Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical in 1984, awarding Bruce Swedien for his work.^[39] Jackson's attorney John Branca noted that Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point: approximately $2 for every album sold. He was also making record-breaking profits from sales of his recordings. The videocassette of the documentary The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over 350,000 copies in a few months. The era saw the arrival of novelties like dolls modeled after Michael Jackson, which appeared in stores in May 1984 at a price of $12.^[40] Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli writes that, "Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple."^[41] In 1985, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Longform.^[32] In December 2009, the music video for "Thriller" was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, "Thriller" is the first music video ever to be inducted.^[42][43][44]