2010: The X Factor and formation
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 boyband One Direction, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category.[8] 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. One Direction finished in third place behind runner-up Rebecca Fergusonand 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.[9]
2011–12: Up All Night
Main article: Up All Night (One Direction album)
In January 2011, One Direction signed a £2 million record contract with Cowell's company Syco Records. In November 2011, they signed a record deal with Columbia Records in the United States.[10] One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011.[11] They developed their debut album with Savan Kotecha[12] 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. Up All Night was released on 21 November.[13] According to review aggregator Metacritic, the album has received "generally favorable reviews."[14] The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 138,631 copies,[15] and was the fastest-selling debut album on the UK Albums Chart of 2011.[3] The album topped the charts in Australia, Croatia, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Sweden; reaching the top ten in a total of twenty countries. It was released in North America in 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.[16][17][18]
One Direction released their debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" on 11 September 2011.[19] The song broke pre-order sales record for Sony Music.[20] 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[21] and in the Irish Singles Chart it remained at number one for four weeks.[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 for two-consecutive weeks. One Direction released their second single "Gotta Be You" on 13 November. It reached a peak of number three on the UK Singles Chart.[25][26] On 6 January 2012, One Direction released "One Thing" as the second single outside of UK and Ireland,[27] as a promotional single in various European countries. It was released in the UK as the third single on 13 February 2012.[28] In the UK, "One Thing" peaked at number nine, becoming the third consecutive top ten single from Up All Night.[29] "One Thing" despite not being released as a single in U.S. peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Hot 100.[30]
On 26 September 2011, One Direction announced their debut headline UK tour, the Up All Night Tour, set for December 2011 and January 2012.[31] The tour was sold out in minutes of release.[32] In February and March 2012, One Direction announced Oceania and North American legs of the tour with dates set for April to July 2012.[33][34] The total 62-show tour sold out completely.[35][36][37][38] A recording of their tour, Up All Night – The Live Tour DVD is set for release in May 2012.[39][40] 21 February 2012, One Direction attended the 2012 Brit Awards. The group received the Brit Award for Best British Single.[41]During One Direction's acceptance speech for their Brit Award, Payne stated the group would embark on their first arena tour in 2013, the then UK & Ireland Arena Tour.[42]
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 $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.[43] 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."[44]
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