One Direction are a British-Irish
boy band formed in
London in 2010, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They signed to
Simon Cowell's record label
Syco Records after being formed and placing third in the
seventh series of British television music competition
The X Factor. They later signed in North America to
Columbia Records.
In November 2011, One Direction released their debut album
Up All Night, which became the fastest-selling debut album in the UK of 2011. In 2012, it debuted at number one on the U.S.
Billboard 200, making One Direction the first UK group in U.S. chart history to debut at number one with their first album.
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. One Direction supported the album with their
Up All Night Tour. They have started recording their
second studio album, due for release in late 2012. One Direction's
world tour is set for 2013, with tickets grossing
$15.7 million for their Australian and New Zealand dates.
One Direction have been described as sparking a resurgence in the boy band concept, and of forming part of a new "
British Invasion" in the United States. As of June 2012, according to Nick Gatfield, the chairman and chief executive of
Sony Music Entertainment UK, One Direction represent a
$50 million business empire.
[2] Their work has earned them
awards and nominations. One Direction have supported various charities and foundations, and have commercial endorsements with
Pokémon,
Nokia,
HarperCollins and
Hasbro. They also appeared as themselves in the
iCarly episode "
iGo One Direction" (2012).
History
Formation and record deal (2010–11)
In 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson auditioned as solo candidates for the
seventh series of British television music competition
The X Factor. They all made it through to the "
bootcamp" stage of the competition, but failed to progress to the "Boys" category at
judges' houses. After a suggestion by guest judge
Nicole Scherzinger, they were put together to form a five-piece boy band at
Wembley Arena,
London,
England, 23 July 2010, during the "bootcamp" stage of the competition,
[3][4][5] thus qualifying for the "Groups" category. The newly formed boy band had five weeks
[6] to gel as a group before the next stage of the competition. The group got together for week-long sessions in a bungalow at the bottom of Styles' stepfather's garden to get to know each other and to practice. Styles came up with the name
One Direction as he thought it would sound good when
The X Factor announcer
Peter Dickson read their name out on the live shows.
[7][8][9] For their qualifying song at judges' houses, and their first song as a group, One Direction sang an acoustic version of "
Torn".
[10] In the
live shows, One Direction covered songs by musical acts;
Pink,
Coldplay,
The Beatles,
Elton John,
Kelly Clarkson,
Snow Patrol,
Kim Wilde 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 the UK.
[6] 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.
[11]
One Direction performing in
Glasgow during the
X Factor Live Tour, April 2011.
After the final it was confirmed, One Direction had been signed by Cowell to an
£2 million
Syco Records record contract.
[12][13] Recording for their debut album began directly after.
[14] In February 2011, One Direction and nine other contestants from the series participated in the
X Factor Live Tour. The tour saw the group performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album. Recording took place in Sweden, United States, and the United Kingdom, as One Direction worked with producers
Carl Falk,
Toby Gad,
Savan Kotecha,
Steve Mac,
RedOne,
Matt Squire,
Steve Robson and
Rami Yacoub, among others.
[15][16][17][18]
Up All Night and international breakthrough (2011–12)
One Direction released their debut single "
What Makes You Beautiful" in September 2011.
[19] "What Makes You Beautiful" debuted at number one on the
UK Singles Chart, after becoming the most pre-ordered
Sony Music Entertainment single in history.
[20][21] Subsequent singles "
Gotta Be You" and "
One Thing" both peaked within the UK Singles Chart top ten.
[22][23] In November 2011, they signed a record deal with
Columbia Records in North America.
[24] 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."
[25] Upon arrival in the United States in February 2012, One Direction embarked on a radio promotion spree, as well as their first American concert tour as an opening act for
Big Time Rush.
[26][27] "What Makes You Beautiful" was released in the United States in February 2012,
[28] where it debuted on the
Billboard Hot 100 at number twenty-eight, becoming the highest
Billboard Hot 100 debut for a UK act since 1998.
[29] It peaked at number four on the
Billboard Hot 100 and as of July 2012, had sold over 3 million units in the United States.
[30]
On 12 March 2012, One Direction made their first television appearance in the U.S. on
The Today Show at the
Rockefeller Center, an estimated 15,000 fans descended on the plaza. Melissa Lonner, senior entertainment producer for
The Today Show, 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?'"
[31] One Direction's debut studio album,
Up All Night was released globally in early 2012, it was critically lauded for its teen appeal.
[32][33] Allmusic wrote "By making this album perfectly inoffensive, artistically ambiguous, and freakin' adorable, One Direction is perfectly positioned to take the world by storm and prove that no matter what the televised results originally concluded, they have the "X Factor" necessary for success."
[34] Worldwide the album topped the charts in sixteen countries.
[35] 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.
[36][37] In the U.S., it debuted at number one on the
Billboard 200 chart, making One Direction the first UK group in U.S. chart history to debut at number one with their debut album.
[38][39] Up All Night had sold 608,382 units in the UK as of 13 May 2012,
[40] and 1,007,000 units in the United States as of 25 July 2012.
[41] As of June 2012, according to One Direction's management company, Modest! Management, the album has sold over 2.7 million units worldwide.
[42]
In December 2011, One Direction embarked on their first headlining UK concert tour, the
Up All Night Tour.
[43][44] In early 2012, they announced
Australasian and North American legs of the concert tour, with dates from April to July 2012.
[45][46] The total 62-show tour sold out completely.
[47][48][49][50] Receiving positive reviews, critics commended One Direction's singing abilities, production of the show, and One Direction's showmanship.
[51][52][53][54] A recording of a concert from the tour, entitled
Up All Night: The Live Tour was released in May 2012,
[55] with the DVD subsequently topping the charts in twenty-five countries. In Australia, it was certified
six times platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 90,000 units in its first week. In the U.S., it debuted at number one on the
Billboard DVD chart, selling 76,000 copies, surpassing sales of the
Billboard 200 number one album,
John Mayer's
Born and Raised, which sold 65,000 copies. One Direction once again made U.S. chart history as it marked the first time a music DVD outsold the
Billboard 200 number one album. The opening sales also made it the highest music DVD debut of 2012 and the second highest debut in the past five years behind
Adele's
Live at the Royal Albert Hall, which launched at number one, with 96,000 copies, in December 2011.
[56][57][58]
On 21 February 2012, One Direction attended the 2012
Brit Awards at which "What Makes You Beautiful" won the
BRIT Award for
Best British Single.
[59] During One Direction's acceptance speech, Payne stated One Direction would embark on their
first arena tour in 2013.
[60] As of April 2012, One Direction are being sued for
trademark infringement by a low-profile U.S. band from California, 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.
[61] On 13 April 2012, 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."
[62] In June 2012, at a Creative Industries Reception hosted by
Sony Music Entertainment UK and the
Confederation of British Industry, Nick Gatfield, chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Music Entertainment UK, stated how he expects One Direction to represent a $100 million business empire over 2013. Gatfield talked about One Direction's global success. "What you might not know about One Direction is that they already represent a $50 million business and that's a figure we expect to double next year".
[2]
Upcoming second studio album (2012)
In May 2012, One Direction began recording their
second studio album in Stockholm, Sweden.
[63] In April 2012, British newspaper
The Independent ran an article entitled, "One Direction – but where next? Writers join battle to create boy band's next hits", according to the article,
Simon Cowell has challenged music's "most successful"
songwriters to compete for space on One Direction's second album, after the global success of their debut album.
Dee Demirbag, responsible for international artists and repertoire at music publisher,
BMG Rights Management in Scandinavia, said: "Breaking a
boy band in the U.S. is about as big as it gets in the music industry, so you can imagine the competition to get cuts on the next One Direction album is immense."
[64] Conversely the same month, One Direction disclosed that they wanted to contribute more to the
songwriting for their second album, Styles stating, "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."
[65] The album is scheduled for release in late 2012.
[66] In June 2012, Horan told
MTV News, the lead single is scheduled for release in September 2012.
[67]
One Direction are due to headline at New York City's
Madison Square Garden on 3 December 2012.
[68] One Direction is set to embark on their second headlining concert tour, the
2013 World Tour, in February 2013.
[69] The concert tour thus far consists of 101 shows in the UK, Ireland, North America and Australasia. In the UK and Ireland, ticket sales reached 300,000 within a day of release, which included a six date sell out at
London's
The O2 Arena.
[70] In North America, the group added additional shows due to "overwhelming demand".
[71] 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.
[72]
Musical style
One Direction's debut studio album,
Up All Night (2011) is predominantly a
pop music record, containing elements of
teen pop,
dance pop,
pop rock and
power pop, with
electropop and
rock music influences.
[1][34][73][75] Digital Spy's Robert Copsey described the album as a "collection of pg
pop rock with killer choruses",
[76] while
The New York Times considered it "full of easy rock-inflected pop, blithe and sometimes clever."
[54] Jason Lipshutz of
Billboard opined that the album demonstrates an originality in sound that was "necessary for the revitalization of the boy band movement", comparing their "pop harmonies" to those of boy bands
'N Sync,
Backstreet Boys and
98 Degrees.
[75] Songs "
One Thing" and "
What Makes You Beautiful" were particularly noted for the genres of
power pop and
pop rock, for their "powerhouse"
guitar riffs and "forceful" choruses.
[73][74][77][78]
Vocally, in concert settings,
Rolling Stone, asserted their
acoustic performances as both showing off "Horan's ability to play
guitar, as well as One Direction's admirable live vocals. There was no need to worry about a backing track or a bum note, a pleasant realization at a pop show."
[51] Herald Sun opinionated that One Direction contain "strong pop voices",
[79] National Post wrote similar commentary, "It's easy to get lost in inherent appeal of their perfectly coiffed dos and almost-too-put-together preppy style but somewhere in the midst of all the love-struck squeals of teenage girls are guys who can actually sing and, to a certain extent, entertain."
[52] The Washington Post elaborated "As the five traded couplets, it was tough to imagine a future
Justin Timberlake,
Ricky Martin or
Bobby Brown emerging from the pack. No one voice stood out."
[80] Jane Stevenson of portal site
Canoe wrote, "What I didn't really prepare myself for was that they all can actually sing in concert."
[53] Mike Wass of
Idolator, reviewing a 2012 concert in Sydney, felt One Direction's "surprisingly accomplished effort" of
King of Leon's "
Use Somebody" proved that One Direction is "more than" capable of evolving its sound in the future.
[81]
Image
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, writing that it took the 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?".
[82] One Direction have been described as sparking the resurgence in the boy band concept, and as forming part of a new "
British Invasion" in the United States.
[83][84][85][86][87] 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."
[88]
One Direction greet Swedish fans in
Stockholm, May 2012.
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."
[88] Will Bloomfield, the group's manager, added, "These guys live online, and so do their fans."
[89] Their management employs a social media team and the members all tweet themselves, "which helps create the illusion that they couldn't be any closer to their fans."
[88] One Direction's
Twitter account had amassed 5 million followers as of July 2012, with the account gaining followers at an average of 20,000 per day.
[90] 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".
[91] Horan commented on One Direction as a boy band, saying: "People think that a boy band 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 boy band. We're trying to do different kinds of music and we're just trying to be ourselves, not squeaky clean."
[92] Leah Collins writing for the
National Post remarked that One Direction had succeeded on the latter front. She writes, "For the most part, that just means the group presents themselves as typical, goofy and uncensored teenage boys — posting jokey
YouTube videos, for instance, or boozing at awards shows."
[92] Writing for
The Observer,
Kitty Empire opined, "Dance routines are fundamental to the boy band – or at least, to 90s
Take That and late-00s
JLS. One Direction fulfil a great many boy band prerequisites (looks, soppy lyrics, tune-grasp, fame-lust) but their lack of routines points to the subtle digressions afoot here."
[93] Jon Caramanica from
The New York Times noted, "The story of boy bands is inevitably the story of disbandment", although he felt, "Given that the band has built some dissonance into its act, it may take awhile for that to happen to One Direction."
[54]
Other ventures
One Direction have released three books. Published by
HarperCollins, the books contains personal snaps, unseen photographs, as well as written accounts of every member of One Direction.
[94] The first One Direction-licensed book,
One Direction: Forever Young (Our Official X Factor Story), was released on 17 February 2011.
[95] The book reached the number one spot on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.
[96] Their second book,
One Direction: The Official Annual 2012, was published on 1 September 2011.
[97] On 15 September 2011, One Direction released their third book
Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction.
[98] The book was also able to secure the top spot in the Sunday Times Non Fiction Hardback Bestseller list.
[99] Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction was published in the United States on 22 May 2012.
[100]
In 2011, One Direction released their first calendar for 2012, the
One Direction 2012 Calendar. In December 2011,
amazon.com revealed that One Direction have achieved the top selling calendar of all time in the UK.
[101] One Direction became the brand ambassadors for
Pokémon Black and White since April 2011. They starred in a series of television ads, as well as special events performing for and meeting fans.
[102] They also launched limited edition
Nokia C2-02 and
Nokia C3-00 phones, which contain exclusive content such as One Direction wallpapers, ringtones, and behind the scenes videos of the band.
[103] In April 2012,
Hasbro announced an agreement with One Direction to produce a new line of toys and games based on the group. The range will be sold globally in the autumn of 2012, with the exception of the UK and Ireland.
[104]
Philanthropy
In 2010, when One Direction were contestants on
The X Factor, they and their fellow
series seven 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.
[105][106] All sixteen finalists performed the song on 20 November 2010's results show.
[107] The single entered both the
Irish Singles Chart on 25 November 2010 and the
UK Singles Chart on 28 November 2010 at number one.
[108][109] In 2012, One Direction contributed to the fundraiser cookbook
Dish for a Wish. The proceeds from sales of the book benefit the Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity, an organisation that grants the wishes of sick children in the UK.
[110] On 9 May 2012, One Direction visited the ill children of the charity.
[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, they also aided the
California Earthquake Authority (CEA) through bidding auctions to meet the band.
[115] In July 2012, One Direction teamed up with
British Airways in a 'text-to-win' competition, which was launched on
social networking websites, giving eight fans the chance to fly with the band on a one hour flight organized by British Airways. Money raised from the competition went to Flying Start, British Airways' global charity partnership with
Comic Relief, to help children in the UK and some of the world's poorest countries.
[116][117]
Members
Niall Horan
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,
[118] he has an older brother named Greg.
[119] 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.
[118] Horan was a pupil at
Coláiste Mhuire, a boys'
Christian Brothers school.
[120][121] He was in the school choir, performing seasonally around
Christmas.
[7][8] 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."
[122]
On auditioning for
The X Factor, Horan said, "I'm 16 and I want to be a big name like
Beyoncé and Justin Bieber". "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."
[123] 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, citing favourite artists
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin and
Michael Bublé. Horan also cites
rock music favourably and is a fan of
The Eagles,
Bon Jovi and
The Script.
[124][125] Additionally he cites recording artist
Ed Sheeran as praiseworthy.
[126]
Zayn Malik
Zain Javadd "Zayn" Malik,
[127][128] born
(1993-01-12) 12 January 1993
(age 19) in St. Luke's Hospital, is from
Bradford,
West Yorkshire, England.
[129] Born to
British Pakistani father Yaser and an
English mother, Tricia Malik (née Brannan), he has one older sister Doniya, and two younger sisters Waliyha and Safaa.
[121][130] He grew up in
East Bowling, located to the south of 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] Malik did not fit in at his first two schools due to his mixed heritage, revealing that when he and his older sister moved schools he felt he fitted in better. After moving schools at the age twelve, Malik, states he started taking pride in his appearance.
[132] During his time on
The X Factor, his grandfather passed away; he has a tattoo of his grandfather's name Walter in
Arabic on his chest.
[133][134]
On auditioning for
The X Factor, Malik said "I was looking for an experience". He cites
urban music as his main musical influence, drawing inspiration from
Michael Jackson,
Usher and
Ne-Yo. Growing up, he was into
R&B and
rap.
[132][135] 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."
[136] Malik is addicted to smoking
cigarettes; in late 2011, he expressed his desire to quit.
[137] Malik once
tweeted, "
La ila ha ill lalla ho muhammed door rasoolalah", the tweet is regarded as a common declaration of faith among
Muslims meaning: "There is no
God but
Allah and
Muhammad is the
prophet of Allah."
[138][139] In May 2012, amidst media speculation, Malik confirmed he is dating
Little Mix member Perrie Edwards.
[140][141][142][143]
Liam Payne
Liam James Payne,
[144] 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,
[145] he has two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
[121] 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. 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] Growing up, his mother would juggle shifts as a nursery nurse to accompany him on all his auditions.
[118] As a student, Payne was heavily involved in sports, primarily trying out for various school teams. He eventually found his place on the
cross country running team, coming first: "From then on I was training all the time and getting up at 6am to run for miles. At the age of 12 they put me in the school's under-18s team."
[132] Payne was
bullied in secondary school and took up boxing lessons at the age of twelve.
[132][147] He was a
music technology student at
City of Wolverhampton College.
[148] Before
The X Factor, Payne had once performed in front of a 26,000 crowd at a
Wolverhampton Wanderers' football match.
[7][8]
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.
[149] He is currently in a relationship with dancer Danielle Peazer. They met on
The X Factor in 2010 and have been in a relationship ever since. The backing dancer for
The Saturdays and
Jessie J has received
death threats and other forms of
cyber bullying on social networking website
Twitter, due to her relationship with Payne.
[150][151][152][153]
Harry Styles
Harry Edward Styles, born
(1994-02-01) 1 February 1994
(age 18)[154][155] is from the village of
Holmes Chapel,
Cheshire, England. He is a former pupil at
Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, a state comprehensive school.
[156] Born to mother Anne Cox and father Des Styles,
[118] he has an older sister, Gemma.
[121] He was seven when their parents divorced, his mother later getting remarried to Robin Twist.
[157] 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.
[158] 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.
[156] They had once entered a Battle of the Bands competition, which they won.
[7][8] Before
The X Factor, the then sixteen-year old Styles had a part-time job at the W. Mandeville Bakery in Holmes Chapel.
[159]
As a child, Styles loved singing, noting
Elvis Presley as one of his influences. He also cites Presley for his musical beginnings.
[158] 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. "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."
[92] Styles states that
The X Factor gave him "a lot more" confidence as a performer and singer.
[158] Styles says that he often looks to Coldplay front man
Chris Martin for inspiration when performing on stage.
[149] 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.
[160] He briefly dated English television presenter
Caroline Flack, which caused widespread media controversy over their fifteen-year age gap.
[161]
Louis Tomlinson
Louis William Tomlinson, born
Louis Troy Austin,
[162][163] (1991-12-24) 24 December 1991
(age 20),
[164] is from
Doncaster,
South Yorkshire, England. Born to mother Johannah Poulston and father Troy Austin, his parents split when he was young and he took on his stepfather Mark Tomlinson's name.
[118] He has five younger half-sisters: one on his father's side (Georgia), and four on his mother's side (Charlotte, Félicité, and twins Daisy and Phoebe). Daisy and Phoebe had roles as babies on television series
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 film
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.
[158] As a student at Hall Cross, Tomlinson starred in several musical productions.
[165][8] Before
The X Factor, he had a numbers of jobs, including at a
Vue cinema and at
Doncaster Rovers football stadium as a waiter in their hospitality suites.
[158][166]
Tomlinson revealed that landing the lead role of
Danny Zuko in a high school musical production of
Grease motivated him to audition for
The X Factor.
[167][8] Tomlinson 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 [Williams]. He's just so cheeky, he can get away with anything. His performances are unbelievable."
[168] He also admires recording artist
Ed Sheeran, describing him as "phenomenal."
[169] In 2011, his mother and step-father announced they were getting a divorce.
[121] Tomlinson is currently in a relationship with
Manchester University politics and sociology student, Eleanor Calder.
[170][171][172][173]
OH MY LAUDDD THIS WOULD SOOOOOOOOOOO BE ME!!
Gotta love Louis
Gotta love this<3Nialler
