One Direction fans all across Canada and around the world are marking the 10th anniversary of when Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson were thrust together on Season 7 of the UK competition series The X Factor.
All five had auditioned for the show as solo singers but failed to advance. During taping of the “bootcamp” episodes at London’s Wembley Arena, they were put together as a group. The world would come to know One Direction when the episodes aired in September of 2010.
During the live shows of The X Factor, One Direction performed COldplay’s “Vida la Vida,” Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” P!nk’s “Nobody Knows,” Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America,” Elton John’s “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” and “Your Song,” the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love,” Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69,” Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World),” Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” and World Party’s “She’s the One.”
On the season finale, One Direction performed Ednaswap’s “Torn” – but it wasn’t enough. The group finished third.
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Had they won, their cover of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” would have been released as a single. Not surprisingly, it was “leaked” online along with news that One Direction had signed a reported $3.4 million deal with Simon Cowell’s Syco Records.
In September 2011, One Direction released its debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” – launching them to global fame. In the four years that followed, there were five studio albums, four headlining tours, two concert films, countless TV appearances and dozens of awards, including AMAs, BRITs, MTV VMAs and Teen Choice.
In Canada, One Direction won one MuchMusic Video Award and was nominated three times at the Juno Awards.
In August 2015, five months after Zayn Malik left the group, One Direction announced it was taking an indefinite hiatus at the end of the year. All five original members have gone on to release solo albums.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary, iHeartRadio Canada presents the 1D: One Decade playlist as well as a look back at some of One Direction’s memorable moments on stage. Check it out below: