Author(s): Jess Lomas

Children's

Not since the onslaught of boy bands in the 1990s has the world succumbed to the charms, good looks and velvet voices of five fresh-faced artists like One Direction. When Harry Styles, Zayn Malick, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson each entered the 2010 UK series of The X-Factor as solo acts they couldn't have dreamt what lay just around the corner for them. As one of the few British pop acts to have broken into the lucrative American market, One Direction found their audience with the release of their debut album, Up All Night. What followed was sold out concerts, screaming fans, number 1 hits and being crowned the hottest pop group in the world.