161 Fun Facts About One Direction

Which girl group was formed from rejected soloists at the 2010 bootcamp that made One Direction?

Belle Amie were assembled the same day from four rejected Girls-category soloists; they were eliminated partway through the 2010 live shows, well before the final.

One Direction were the first band with how many consecutive albums debuting at Billboard 200 number one?

The run started with their 2011 debut and ended only when the fifth album opened at number two.

Which guest judge on The X Factor in 2010 was shown in 2022 footage helping to form One Direction?

Nicole Scherzinger is seen in the footage picking out the rejected soloists' headshots and grouping them one by one, although the show's lead judge had long claimed the idea as his own.

Which song was Niall Horan's debut solo single during the hiatus?

This Town came out as a surprise in September 2016, a stripped-back acoustic ballad whose video was simply a live performance; the band had been on a break since January.

When Zayn Malik quit One Direction in 2015, his statement said he wanted to be what?

A normal 22-year-old 'able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight' was his stated wish; days earlier a doctor had signed him off the band's world tour with stress.

As of 2020, roughly how many records had One Direction sold worldwide?

70 million records came from five singers who each failed to get through The X Factor alone in 2010; put together as a group, they went on to four world tours in five years.

One Direction finished in what place on the 2010 series of the talent show that created them?

Third place went to One Direction behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson, yet within weeks they had a record deal backed by a reported £2 million.

Which One Direction song, released in September 2012 just over a year after their debut single, led their second studio album?

'Live While We're Young' arrived just over a year after their debut single, with the album Take Me Home following that November.

In what city was One Direction formed?

London's Wembley Arena hosted the show's 2010 bootcamp, where the judges shuffled headshots of solo singers they had just rejected and pieced five of them into a group.

Which One Direction album was released in 2015, just before their hiatus?

Made in the A.M. came out on 13 November 2015, weeks before the hiatus began, and was the only One Direction album recorded as a four-piece.

Aged 14, Liam Payne first auditioned for The X Factor with which singer's song?

Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon' carried him to judges' houses, where he was sent home to finish school; his return two years later put him in One Direction.

Which song did One Direction perform at judges' houses in 2010, their first ever as a group?

'Torn', sung acoustically after Natalie Imbruglia's hit version, took them through to the live shows; they sang it again when voted out of the final, and revisited it on BBC Radio 1 in 2015.

Which record label signed One Direction after The X Factor, reportedly investing £2 million in them?

Syco Records belonged to the judge who had mentored them on the show, so the man who guided them to the final became their label boss too.

Who helped One Direction's mentor judge the groups at judges' houses in 2010?

Sinitta, an eighties pop star and old friend of the groups' mentor, sat beside him as he picked his acts for the live shows, while he teased her about her thigh-high boots.

Police sealed off which square for the 2013 premiere of One Direction: This Is Us?

Leicester Square filled with an estimated 70,000 fans for the premiere on 20 August 2013, and police sealed it off once the crowd had swelled to capacity.

What name is commonly used for One Direction's fan base?

One Direction's fans are known as Directioners; Beliebers follow Justin Bieber, Mixers follow Little Mix and Harmonizers follow Fifth Harmony.

Which New York venue did One Direction sell out on 3 December 2012, just over two years after forming?

Madison Square Garden sold out for the band's first headline show there, where they sat on the edge of the stage to sing their acoustic single 'Little Things'.

In November 2011 One Direction signed a North American record deal with which label?

Columbia Records signed them because co-chairman Steve Barnett saw a gap: other acts in that category 'had gotten a little older', and he thought the band could seize and hold it.

Which animated series featured One Direction in its 2016 episode 'Run, Chris, Run'?

Family Guy had Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne record their own lines; its producers joked that they enjoyed the visit until they realised they were old enough to be the pair's fathers.

Which judge mentored One Direction through the 2010 series that formed them?

Simon Cowell was handed the Groups category for 2010, so the band newly assembled from rejected soloists became his own act to steer through the live shows.

Which tour, opening in the UK in December 2011, was One Direction's first as headliners?

One Direction embarked on their first headlining UK concert tour, the Up All Night Tour, in December 2011, with tickets selling out quickly.

Which One Direction song opens with the words 'Written in these walls'?

'Story of My Life' opens with that line; its video brings the band's old family photos to life, with Harry beside his mother and Louis with his grandparents.

One Direction sang on the 2014 remake of which charity single, recorded to fight Ebola?

Do They Know It's Christmas? was re-recorded as Band Aid 30 to fight Ebola, and One Direction were given its opening line, the one Paul Young sang in 1984.

In which English city did One Direction play their final pre-hiatus concert in October 2015?

Sheffield closed the On the Road Again Tour on 31 October 2015; all that remained before the four went their separate ways were a few one-off television and awards-show appearances.

On which children's TV show did One Direction sing a spoof of their own debut hit in 2014?

Sesame Street had the five croon with its puppets about how useful the letter U is, a spoof of 'What Makes You Beautiful' shown as they promoted their fourth album.

One Direction's X Factor mentor said in 2013 that putting the five together as a group took him how long?

10 minutes, he told the band to their faces during a 2013 fan webcast, teasing that he had been disappointed at the time because he expected all five to go through as soloists.

Liam Payne had a son, Bear, in 2017 with which singer, a judge at his X Factor auditions?

Cheryl was on the panel when he first auditioned at 14 and again in 2010; they were a couple from 2016 to 2018, and she urged him not to walk away from singing after the band.

On the cover of One Direction's album Take Me Home, the band clamber over which British street icon?

A red telephone box has four of the band climbing on top of it on the 2012 cover, while Niall Horan is trapped inside.

Which 2013 summer smash kept 'Best Song Ever' from entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number one?

Blurred Lines was in its eighth week on top when 'Best Song Ever' arrived at number two, and that entry stayed One Direction's highest position on the US singles chart.

Guinness World Records named One Direction the first British group to do what in 2012?

Top the Billboard 200 on debut is something no British group's first album had managed; the previous best was the Spice Girls' Spice, which entered at number six in 1997.

Which One Direction tour, their first all-stadium run, was the highest-grossing tour of 2014 by any act?

The Where We Are Tour took about $290 million from 69 stadium shows, out-earning the Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake four years after the band was pieced together on a TV talent show.

What was One Direction's 2014 autobiography called?

'Who We Are', the band's official autobiography, was published in September 2014, three years after the earlier Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction.

Which song, released in November 2015, was the last single One Direction put out before their hiatus?

History came with a video stitched from flashbacks of the band's five years together, the member who had left that spring included, while the remaining four sang to camera.

Which Yorkshire football club signed lifelong fan Louis Tomlinson in 2013?

Doncaster Rovers took him on as a non-contract player after a charity match at their ground, a deal struck to raise money for a local children's hospice; he called it a childhood dream.

Which documentary maker directed One Direction's 2013 3D concert film?

Morgan Spurlock, the Super Size Me director, had missed out on Justin Bieber's and Katy Perry's concert films; he took this one to find out how the band had got so big so fast.

In what year did One Direction release their album 'Four'?

One Direction announced their fourth studio album, titled 'Four,' in September 2014, and it was released in November of that year.

Which single from the band's debut album was the most pre-ordered Sony Music single ever at release?

'What Makes You Beautiful' was the most pre-ordered Sony Music single at its September 2011 release; it sold 153,965 copies in its first week and entered the UK chart at number one.

Which body named One Direction its Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2013?

The IFPI, the record industry's global trade body, created the award that year from its first full count of downloads, streams and physical sales, and One Direction beat Eminem and Katy Perry to it.

Which X Factor category did the future One Direction members each enter as solo acts?

None of the five made it through individually, so they were grouped on 23 July 2010 and moved to the Groups category.

Which member of One Direction famously came up with the band's name?

Harry Styles suggested the name One Direction, which the others liked at once; a Californian band using the same name since 2009 sued Syco and Sony over it in 2012.

At the 2012 Royal Variety Performance One Direction performed before which royal?

Queen Elizabeth II was the royal guest at the Royal Albert Hall that night, where One Direction sang their new ballad 'Little Things' on a bill that also had Girls Aloud and Neil Diamond.

One Direction's 2013 Comic Relief single paired The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks' with which Blondie song?

One Way or Another was fused with 'Teenage Kicks' for Red Nose Day; rather than pay for a big-budget video, the band filmed it themselves on tour and gave the money saved to Comic Relief.

Which US morning show hosted One Direction's first American TV performance in 2012?

Today had booked a routine in-studio spot, but a flood of fan emails made NBC move the band outside to Rockefeller Plaza, with New York police helping to plan for the crowd.

Which Stevie Wonder song did Harry Styles sing at his 2010 X Factor audition?

Isn't She Lovely was his second attempt: he began with Train's 'Hey, Soul Sister', was told the song was not right for him, and sang the Stevie Wonder number unaccompanied instead.

In the 'Midnight Memories' video, who carries the band off on a late-night ride through the city?

Pensioners on mobility scooters pick up the five after they escape a dull house party and stop at a kebab shop, in a night that also has them giving the police the slip.

Which American Idol winner co-wrote 'Tell Me a Lie' for One Direction's debut album?

Kelly Clarkson was one of the songwriting heavyweights, alongside the producer RedOne, whom Rolling Stone saw being enlisted to make the newcomers' first album ready for radio.

Which band got their break opening for One Direction on world tours in 2013 and 2014?

5 Seconds of Summer were more than a support act: Billboard reported in 2014 that the five members of One Direction owned a share of the company behind the Australian band.

What did One Direction call the fan event they staged online to promote Midnight Memories?

1D Day was a seven-hour YouTube live stream two days before the album came out, with celebrity guests, a quiz and world record attempts squeezed in between performances.

One Direction's debut fragrance 'Our Moment' launched in Britain exclusively at which department store?

Harrods had the scent to itself when it went on sale in August 2013, and British Vogue reported an extensive waiting list before a single bottle had been sold.

Which British politician made a cameo in the video for One Direction's 2013 Comic Relief single?

David Cameron, then prime minister, welcomed the band to Downing Street late in 2012 to film his part, and said afterwards that he had enjoyed the cameo.

In which country did One Direction visit a children's hospital while filming their 2013 Comic Relief video?

Ghana was the stop that shook them: in Accra they visited schools and a children's hospital to see what Red Nose Day money pays for, and Niall said it was hard to stay composed.

'What Makes You Beautiful' debuted at what position on the Billboard Hot 100?

'What Makes You Beautiful' entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 28 in early 2012, the highest debut for a British act in fourteen years, and later peaked at number four.

Which 2012 US awards show gave One Direction three trophies?

MTV Video Music Awards night brought three wins from three nominations, all for 'What Makes You Beautiful', so the newcomers went home as the ceremony's biggest winners.

Which star duetted with One Direction in the 2010 X Factor final?

Robbie Williams sang his own hit 'She's the One' with them in the celebrity duets round, where rival finalists were paired with Christina Aguilera and will.i.am.

Savan Kotecha wrote 'What Makes You Beautiful' after who complained of feeling ugly one morning?

His wife was having a bad morning in a hotel room; he told her she didn't know how beautiful she looked, realised that was a song and wrote it down on the spot.

Where was the video for One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' filmed?

A beach in Malibu, California, hosts the whole video: the five arrive in an orange campervan, mess about in the surf and are joined by three girls for the second verse.

Which prize did One Direction win at the 2012 Brit Awards?

British Single of the Year went to 'What Makes You Beautiful' ahead of Adele's 'Someone Like You', on a night when Adele took two of the other big prizes.

Which McFly member wrote the Up All Night track 'I Want'?

Tom Fletcher wrote 'I Want' on his own, and it was no one-off: he went on to write 'I Would' for the band's next album with two of his McFly bandmates.

Which singer's album kept One Direction's debut at number two in Britain?

Rihanna's Talk That Talk entered at number one the same week in November 2011, yet Up All Night still finished as the year's fastest-selling debut album in Britain.

Which song, besides 'What Makes You Beautiful' and 'One Thing', was a UK top-ten hit from Up All Night?

Gotta Be You, a string-laden ballad, went straight into the UK top three in November 2011, so the band had top-three hits with each of their first two singles.

Take Me Home was largely recorded in which country?

Sweden hosted most of the sessions: the band flew to Stockholm in May 2012 to record at Kinglet Studios, where the writers of 'One Thing' had spent six months shaping songs around their voices.

Which song was the third single from Take Me Home?

'Kiss You' followed 'Little Things' as the album's third single in January 2013; director Vaughan Arnell filmed the band against a green screen because he wanted a tongue-in-cheek romp that showed off their comic timing.

Which One Direction video shows each member on a first-person date that goes wrong?

'Night Changes' takes the viewer on five dates that all fall apart: Harry's ice-skating trick ends in a fall, Niall's sleeve catches fire and Louis is driven away in a police car.

Midnight Memories was released on 25 November of which year?

It had a 'slightly rockier tone' than the first two albums.

Which Australian singer duetted with Zayn on his 2017 single 'Dusk Till Dawn'?

Sia co-wrote and sang 'Dusk Till Dawn', a UK top-five hit; in its video Zayn makes a sly hand-off to an accomplice played by Jemima Kirke, then goes on the run from two groups of pursuers.

Which singer duetted with Liam Payne on 'For You', from the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Freed?

Rita Ora, who plays Christian Grey's sister in the films, shares the song with him; its video sends the pair running in evening dress through the halls and gardens of a castle estate.

Which solo album did Zayn release on 25 March 2016, a year to the day after he left One Direction?

Mind of Mine entered the UK and US album charts at number one, knocking Adele's 25 off the top in Britain; he cut its 18 songs down from 46 he had written.

Which album kept Made in the A.M. off the top of the Billboard 200?

Justin Bieber's Purpose, released the same day, sold 649,000 units to Made in the A.M.'s 459,000, holding the band to number two; in the UK the album went to number one.

Which single was the second to be released from Made in the A.M.?

'Perfect' did not win over Zayn Malik, who had quit months earlier: he told Billboard the first single was quite cool, but after hearing the second he did not buy the album.

The concert scenes in One Direction: This Is Us were filmed at which arena?

The O2 Arena, a stop on the band's Take Me Home Tour, supplied the 3D concert footage; the film cost about $10 million and earned that back in its first US weekend.

Which footballer appears in One Direction: This Is Us?

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the famous faces in the film, alongside comedian Chris Rock and director Martin Scorsese, who brings his daughter Francesca to meet the band.

Where was the 'Drag Me Down' video filmed?

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston let directors Ben and Gabe Turner film there, with the four cast as trainee astronauts being put through their paces for a space mission.

Harry Styles made a surprise cameo as Eros, brother of Thanos, in the mid-credits scene of which Marvel film?

Eternals kept the cameo out of its early press screenings, so word only got out at the 2021 premiere; director Chloé Zhao said she had kept tabs on Styles since his first film role.

One critic called a 2015 One Direction single a 'delicious retort' to which Taylor Swift song?

'Style' was rumoured to be about Harry Styles, and he co-wrote the single that seemed to answer it, with a closing line offering himself as someone to write break-up songs about.

Who directed One Direction's 'Night Changes' video?

Ben Winston was more than a hired director: Harry Styles lodged in the attic of his family home for 20 months early in the band's career.

'Night Changes' begins in which key?

The change comes 2 minutes 28 seconds into a 3:47 song.

Which actor appears in the 'Steal My Girl' video alongside sumo wrestlers and a chimpanzee?

Danny DeVito plays an over-the-top director in the 'Steal My Girl' video, shot by Ben and Gabe Turner, with acrobats and a marching band alongside the sumo wrestlers and chimpanzee.

Critics heard the piano opening of 'Steal My Girl' as an echo of 'Faithfully', a 1983 ballad by which band?

Journey's power ballad was the comparison reviewers reached for; one wrote that the band had clearly been digging through their parents' record collections.

One Direction's 'Best Song Ever' drew comparisons with which 1971 song by the Who?

'Baba O'Riley' opens on much the same chords, and when a rumour spread that the Who might take legal action, Pete Townshend replied: 'I like the single. I like One Direction.'

Why was the 'Live While We're Young' video released four days early, on 20 September 2012?

The 'Live While We're Young' video was released on 20 September 2012, four days ahead of schedule, because it leaked online; it then set a Vevo 24-hour viewing record.

Which Justin Bieber video took back the 24-hour Vevo record from One Direction's 'Live While We're Young'?

'Beauty and a Beat' drew 10.6 million views in a day in October 2012, topping the 8.2 million set weeks earlier; Bieber shot much of the clip himself at a water park, even taking the camera underwater.

Who co-wrote 'Little Things' with Ed Sheeran?

Bevan brought the song to Sheeran's attention while he was in the studio with the band in 2012.

Which former X Factor runner-up opened for One Direction on their first North American headline tour in 2012?

Olly Murs, second in the 2009 series, joined 19 of the tour's dates from Toronto onwards and used the trip to launch 'Heart Skips a Beat' as his first American single.

Which American singer featured on Louis Tomlinson's 2017 single 'Back to You'?

Bebe Rexha sings the whole first verse: Tomlinson said he had recorded a version in which he sang first, then decided her opening was what was best for the song.

Director Vaughan Arnell said 'Kiss You' felt like the music of which 1960s band, inspiring its retro video?

The Beach Boys were his starting point: he said the track felt like a 1950s surfer B-movie, so he mixed in Elvis's 'Blue Hawaii' and 'Jailhouse Rock' with a dash of British cinema.

How was the 'History' video originally supposed to end?

With the band running back together was the planned last shot; it was cut, so the video stops as the four walk off in separate directions, which its director said was only meant as 'see you in a bit'.

Which Colombian star joined Liam Payne on his 2018 single 'Familiar'?

J Balvin sings his verses in Spanish and filmed the video with Payne in Miami, posting a photo of the pair captioned 'brother from another mother'; the single reached number 14 in the UK.

Which beauty brand did Harry Styles launch in November 2021, starting with nail polish?

Pleasing was no surprise to his fans, who months earlier had spotted a cosmetics company registered under his full name; the first range paired pearl-toned polishes with eye and lip serums.

Which Zayn single debuted at number one in both the UK and the US in 2016?

'Pillowtalk' knocked Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself' off the top of the US chart for a week, a height no One Direction single had reached: the band's best there was number two.

Zayn Malik won which Billboard Music Award with One Direction in 2013 and again as a solo act in 2017?

New Artist of the Year, officially Top New Artist, is a prize an act would expect to win only once; he took it with the band, then again four years later after starting over as a soloist.

Which album did Zayn Malik release in April 2026?

Konnakol is named after the South Indian art of voicing percussion syllables; he announced it straight after a Las Vegas residency where he had tried out its songs.

Which singer's school visit prompted the young Zayn Malik to perform on stage for the first time?

Jay Sean later recalled getting the schoolboy up to perform with him during the visit; until then Zayn had kept to writing raps at school.

Which record label did Zayn sign with as a solo artist after leaving One Direction?

RCA Records got the announcement in a tweet in July 2015: he wrote that he had never explained why he left, and that it was for this chance to show who he really was.

Harry Styles was born in which Worcestershire town?

Redditch is where he was born on 1 February 1994, but the birth was registered in neighbouring Bromsgrove, and his father later had to correct reports that named the wrong town.

Harry Styles was lead singer of which school band, which won a local Battle of the Bands?

White Eskimo, his band at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive, won a local Battle of the Bands; when he left for The X Factor in 2010 the others said they had not split up but were stuck without a singer.

Which Styles solo album won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2023?

Harry's House beat Beyoncé's Renaissance to the top prize on the very night she became the most-awarded artist the Grammys have ever had.

Harry Styles made his acting debut in which Christopher Nolan film?

Dunkirk's director admitted he had not realised how famous Styles was: he said the singer earned the role of the soldier Alex in auditions simply because he fitted the part.

Which Harry Styles song was his first US number one?

'Watermelon Sugar' first appeared as a promotional track in November 2019 and reached number one in America only nine months later, after it was reissued as a single for the summer of 2020.

Which singer's 14 weeks atop the Hot 100, a British record, did 'As It Was' beat?

Elton John set the mark with the 'Candle in the Wind' he sang at Princess Diana's funeral; Mark Ronson's 'Uptown Funk' matched it, and 'As It Was' passed both with a 15th week in 2022.

Which single led Harry Styles's self-titled 2017 debut album?

'Sign of the Times' came with a video shot on the Isle of Skye in which he really was flown through the air: the stunt pilot said Styles went more than 1,550 feet up, with no green screen.

Flicker, Niall Horan's debut solo album, entered the chart at number one in which of these countries?

United States: Flicker opened on top of the Billboard 200 in 2017, giving One Direction three members with a solo American number-one album, yet it stalled at number three in the UK.

Niall Horan's singer won which US talent show in 2023?

The Voice made him a winning coach at the first attempt in 2023, when his singer Gina Miles edged out Blake Shelton's act in the veteran's farewell season by the show's narrowest margin.

Niall Horan caddied for which golfer in the Par 3 Contest at the 2015 Masters?

Niall Horan caddied for Rory McIlroy in the Par 3 Contest at the 2015 Masters at Augusta; the following year he co-founded the agency Modest! Golf Management.

Which album did Niall Horan release in June 2026?

Dinner Party is named for the night he met his long-term girlfriend at a friend's dinner party; he wrote the title track about it and said the rest of the album grew from there.

Louis Tomlinson's debut solo single 'Just Hold On' was a collaboration with which DJ?

Steve Aoki joined him to unveil the song on The X Factor final just days after Tomlinson's mother had died; she had wanted him to go ahead with the performance.

Which Louis Tomlinson album debuted at number one in the UK in November 2022?

Faith in the Future won a week-long chart battle with Bruce Springsteen's covers album to give him a first solo number one; his debut, Walls, had stalled at number four.

Louis Tomlinson founded which indie music festival in 2021?

Away From Home Festival began as a free outdoor show to celebrate live music returning after lockdown, and later editions have been staged in Spain, Italy and Mexico.

Louis Tomlinson was born under which surname?

Austin was the surname of his father, Troy, who left when Louis was a baby; he later took the name of his stepfather, Mark Tomlinson.

Which 2019 Louis Tomlinson single is a tribute to his late mother?

'Two of Us' was the song he said he needed to get off his chest: he did not feel brave enough to write it alone, yet called the writing therapeutic.

Which rapper featured on Liam Payne's 2017 debut solo single 'Strip That Down'?

Quavo sent his verse back within 24 hours of hearing the track, when Payne had expected 'rapper time' to mean two or three weeks; the single reached number three in the UK.

Which album, released in December 2019, was the only one Liam Payne put out in his lifetime?

LP1 arrived more than a year late: he had announced it for September 2018, then held it back because songs finished earlier 'felt from another age', and put out an EP instead.

Liam Payne died in October 2024 after a fall from a hotel balcony in which city?

Buenos Aires was where he had travelled earlier that month to watch his former bandmate Niall Horan in concert; he died there on 16 October 2024, aged 31.

Liam Payne was born in which West Midlands city?

Wolverhampton knew him first as a talented cross-country runner with the local athletics club; his fallback, had singing failed, was to follow his father into an aircraft factory.

Which single was the last Liam Payne released in his lifetime?

'Teardrops', co-written with NSYNC's JC Chasez, missed the UK chart when it came out; it entered only that October, in the week after his death.

One Direction's 'You & I' video, in which the members morph into one another, was shot on which Somerset town's pier?

Clevedon Pier gave the band a brass plaque for filming there; the clip was stitched together to look like one unbroken take, and fans laid flowers at the plaque after Liam Payne's death.

Which rock band's guitarists said they would not sue over the likeness of 'Midnight Memories' to their 1987 hit?

Def Leppard's Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell told Billboard the song did resemble 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' but that it was all good: the shared one-four-five chords, Campbell said, are just the blues.

Which comedian wrote the 'Best Song Ever' video, in which the band play clueless studio staff?

James Corden co-wrote the six-minute sketch, in which Harry plays the marketing man Marcel and Zayn the assistant Veronica; shot in Miami, it went on to break Vevo's 24-hour viewing record.

In which city did Zayn Malik give his final performance with One Direction, on 18 March 2015?

Zayn Malik's last show with One Direction was at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Arena on 18 March 2015; he left the tour the next day and his departure was announced a week later.

Which act's 2015 world tour out-grossed One Direction's On the Road Again Tour that year?

Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour took about $250 million in 2015; the band's On the Road Again Tour came second with $208 million despite losing Zayn Malik less than two months in.

Which promotional single came out the day One Direction announced the title Made in the A.M.?

'Infinity' was announced by Liam Payne as the album's third full single, but another song took that slot and the video planned for it was never finished.

One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' set a one-day streaming record in 2015 on which music service?

Spotify logged 4.75 million plays on release day, beating the mark set by Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again'; the band had put the song out with no warning or promotion at all.

Harry Styles took a part-time job at 16 in which kind of shop in his Cheshire village?

A bakery in Holmes Chapel, the Mandeville Bakery, is now a stop on guided fan tours of the village, which hired tour guides after 5,000 fans visited in 2023. He also delivered newspapers and mucked out stables.

Zayn Malik grew up in which West Yorkshire city, later serving as its UK City of Culture ambassador?

Bradford gave him his band-era nickname, the 'Bradford Bad Boy'. In 2016 he sponsored a box at Bradford City so that underprivileged children could watch football.

Which British street icon do the members of One Direction surround on the cover of Take Me Home?

A red phone box of the K6 type stands at the centre of the artwork. The K6 was designed in 1935 to mark George V's Silver Jubilee, which earned it the nickname 'Jubilee' kiosk.

One Direction starred in an April 2012 episode of which American teen sitcom?

iCarly was not the band's only screen spin-off. An animated cartoon, The Adventurous Adventures of One Direction, redrew them as superheroes modelled on the Power Rangers.

Which American model, a 2017 Vogue cover star with Zayn Malik, gave birth to his daughter in 2020?

Gigi Hadid and the singer had an on-again, off-again relationship from late 2015 until 2021. They raised their daughter largely on a working farm in rural Pennsylvania.

At which 2012 London event did One Direction perform 'What Makes You Beautiful' from the back of a lorry?

The Olympic closing ceremony marked London's handover to Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Games. One review said the band 'shone' on the night.

Which American boy band had One Direction as its opening act for 16 North American shows in early 2012?

Big Time Rush were touring their second album, Elevate, across the US and Canada. Those support slots gave the British-Irish group its first American performances.

Which singer beat One Direction to win The X Factor, then took 'When We Collide' to Christmas number one?

Matt Cardle won with 44.61% of the final vote. His winner's single was a retitled cover of 'Many of Horror' by the Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro.

Which rival boy band cited One Direction's global success as part of the reason for its own 2014 hiatus?

The Wanted called their rivals 'a phenomenon that no one else can compete with', adding that trying to match one of the biggest bands in the world was 'almost impossible'.

Which charity supergroup did One Direction join in 2014 to record a single for the Ebola crisis?

Band Aid 30 remade the 1984 charity anthem at Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill, the same studio used for the original. The download went straight to number one in the UK.

Which acoustic ballad won Louis Tomlinson a yes from every judge at his 2010 X Factor audition?

Hey There Delilah, by the Plain White T's, sent him through to bootcamp. He had tried the year before but failed to get past the producers' audition.

Which Ne-Yo hit did 16-year-old Niall Horan sing at his X Factor audition in Dublin in 2010?

So Sick won positive comments from the judging panel and a place at bootcamp. Horan had already played a support slot at Dublin's Academy club with former contestant Lloyd Daniels.

One Direction sang for a place in The X Factor live shows at a 2010 judges' house in which Spanish resort?

Marbella hosted the Groups category that year. The rival categories were sent to Ascot in Berkshire, County Limerick in Ireland and Melbourne in Australia.

Which David Bowie song did One Direction record with the other 2010 X Factor finalists as a charity single?

Heroes was released in aid of Help for Heroes, a charity that supports injured servicemen and women. The finalists performed it together on the show in the week themed on the Beatles.

Which American breakfast programme hosted One Direction's US TV debut, drawing 15,000 fans to its plaza?

The Today Show hosted them at Rockefeller Center. The band had arrived in the US only that February, as the support act on another group's tour.

Which Super Bowl-winning quarterback partnered with One Direction for Pepsi's 'Live for Now' campaign?

Drew Brees had led the New Orleans Saints to the franchise's first Super Bowl title, earning the game's MVP award. He spent 15 seasons with the Saints, from 2006 to 2020.

One Direction's second concert film was shot over two June 2014 nights at which Italian football stadium?

San Siro, in Milan, hosted the shows on 28 and 29 June. The film played in cinemas for a single October weekend and still set a box-office record for event cinema, netting $4.8 million.

One Direction's last TV performance before their hiatus aired on which annual American holiday broadcast?

New Year's Rockin' Eve, the show that carries Dick Clark's name, aired on 31 December 2015. Eighteen days earlier the band had sung at the final of The X Factor, where it all began.

One Direction holds the record as the most-awarded act at which annual American ceremony, with 28 wins?

The Teen Choice Awards handed the band those 28 wins from only 31 nominations, a success rate of 90 percent.

In 2011 One Direction became the face of which video-game franchise, starring in its television adverts?

Pokémon signed the band for a series of adverts promoting the first role-playing games of the franchise's fifth generation.

The opening riff of 'What Makes You Beautiful' has been likened to which song from the musical Grease?

Summer Nights is the song listeners most often hear in that guitar riff. The track also carries a cowbell part and an 'oh na na na' hook in its middle eight.

Which band's 1977 single has the beat of One Direction's 'Rock Me' been likened to?

Queen's 'We Will Rock You' is the comparison reviewers reached for. The song sits among the album's more solemn tracks, which deal with jealousy and longing for a past love.

Which Backstreet Boys hit is 'One Thing' so similar to that one critic floated a plagiarism lawsuit?

I Want It That Way came up in more than one review. A PopMatters critic wrote that there could be 'a pretty compelling case to launch a plagiarism lawsuit', and asked: 'Homage or theft?'

The 'Midnight Memories' video ends with One Direction standing on the edge of which London landmark?

Tower Bridge caps a night that begins at a dull house party. On the way the band ride motorised scooters with a group of elderly women and steal a police boat on the Thames.

One Direction's fifth top-ten debut on the Billboard Hot 100 broke a record for groups held by which band?

The Beatles had held the mark for groups until then. The record-breaking single entered the US chart at number ten in 2015 and went in at number two in the UK.

Which American pop star is name-checked in the chorus of One Direction's song 'Up All Night'?

Katy Perry gets her mention in a party anthem that one reviewer called a hybrid of a Backstreet Boys hit and an LMFAO song.

Which American TV series covered 'What Makes You Beautiful' in its 2012 episode 'Prom-asaurus'?

Glee handed the song to Artie, Sam, Mike, Joe and Rory, who danced a choreographed routine to it. One reviewer wrote that they 'prance across the stage in the same path as the U.K. heartthrobs'.

The 'Little Things' video shows One Direction recording the song, shot entirely in which visual format?

Black and white was the look of director Vaughan Arnell's simple concept. The single and its parent album entered the UK charts at number one together, making the band the youngest act ever to do so in Britain.

Which rock hit did One Direction cover on tour, leading its makers to record with two of their musicians?

Teenage Dirtbag was part of the group's live set. Its makers, Wheatus, then recorded a single, 'Only You', with bassist Sandy Beales and drummer Josh Devine from the touring band.

Critics compared the opening riff of 'Live While We're Young' to a 1982 single by which punk band?

The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' was the song critics named. The single still entered the US Digital Songs chart at number one, selling 341,000 copies in its first week.

Which ballad about unrequited love was the final single from Up All Night, released in May 2012?

More Than This drew warm reviews but peaked at only number 86 in the UK. Its video simply shows the group performing the song live on their first headline tour.

Which Ed Sheeran-written ballad was a bonus track on the yearbook-shaped deluxe edition of Up All Night?

Moments was a song Sheeran said he 'was never going to use'. He offered it in 2011 after Harry Styles told him the band did not have enough songs for the album.

Which song did One Direction release as a free 24-hour download to announce the album Four?

Fireproof was downloaded 1.1 million times worldwide in those 24 hours, breaking the record for the most-downloaded song in a single day.

Which One Direction album track did fans promote as an unofficial single in a 2015 hashtag campaign?

No Control was never chosen as a single by the band, so fans staged their own release, complete with home-made cover art and videos. The hashtag trended worldwide and the band thanked them.

Which One Direction song leaked weeks before becoming the first promotional single from Midnight Memories?

Diana entered the Irish chart at number two the day after its release. Asked whether the title named a real person, one of its writers would only say: 'Can't tell!'

Which Alphaville anthem did One Direction record as a winner's single, shelved when they lost The X Factor?

Forever Young appeared on the internet straight after the final. That year each finalist had recorded a different potential debut single, rather than all sharing one song.

Louis Tomlinson said the Made in the A.M. track 'What a Feeling' carried the influence of which band?

Fleetwood Mac harmonies were what one reviewer heard in it too. The song later topped a Rolling Stone readers' poll of the best songs the group ever released.

One Direction and JLS guested on which charity single by the 2011 X Factor finalists, a UK number one?

Wishing on a Star sold 98,932 copies in its first week on sale. All proceeds went to the children's charity Together for Short Lives.

Which Made in the A.M. power ballad did Louis Tomlinson call the song he was most proud of writing?

Love You Goodbye is about seeing an ex 'one last time' at the end of a relationship, Tomlinson said. It came out as a promotional single three days before the album.

Which Up All Night track was noted for its similarity to Taio Cruz's 2010 hit 'Dynamite'?

Stole My Heart is the uptempo dance-pop finale of the thirteen-track standard edition. Buyers of the deluxe version got two extra songs after it.