There's a new British invasion going on as One Direction is bringing the boy band back! While their debut album Up All Night was released in the UK last November (becoming the fastest selling debut record of the year), the tracks just touched down in the U.S. last week.
After it sold more than 176,000 copies, the record took the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, making One Direction the first British group in history to chart at number one in the U.S. with their debut album.
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were signed by Simon Cowell two years ago after finishing third place on the British version of The X Factor. They actually each entered the contest individually but Nicole Scherzinger suggested they perform together as a group. Their lead single "What Makes You Beautiful" won Best British Single at the 2012 Brit Awards last month.
Now that they're making girls swoon in the States, they are already booked for the Kids' Choice Awards, Saturday Night Live, and iCarly. While everyone has their own opinions about boy bands, One Direction believes they are different from the rest.
"People think that a boy band is air-grabs and being dressed in all one color," says Niall Horan. "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."
The boys will continue their American takeover with a recently announced tour! Check out the dates right here and the music video for "What Makes You Beautiful" below!
MAY 2012
- Thursday 24th - Patriot Center, Fairfax VA
- Friday 25th - Izod Center, East Rutherford NJ
- Saturday 26th - Beacon Theatre, New York NY
- Monday 28th - Tower Theatre Philadelphia PA
- Tuesday 29th - Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto Ontario
JUNE 2012
- Friday 1st - Fox Theatre, Detroit MI
- Saturday 2nd - Allstate Arena, Chicago IL
- Friday 8th - Viejas Arena, San Diego CA
- Saturday 9th - Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas NV
- Sunday 10th - Comerica Theatre, Phoenix AZ
- Wednesday 13th - Events Center, San Jose CA
- Thursday 14th - Paramount Theatre, Oakland CA
- Saturday 16th - Gibson Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
- Sunday 17th - The Theatre At Honda Center, Anaheim CA
- Saturday 23rd - Gexa Energy Pavilion, Dallas TX
- Sunday 24th - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston TX
- Tuesday 26th - The Arena At Gwinett, Atlanta GA
- Wednesday 27th - Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte NC
- Friday 29th - 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre, Tampa FL
- Saturday 30th - Amway Center, Orlando FL
JULY 2012
- Sunday 1st - Bank Atlantic Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Source: Los Angeles Times, Photo: One Direction