This year’s selection for BackstageOL Artist of the Year was quite simple. There was only one group that sold 13 million records in 2012 and stole the hearts of millions of Directioners worldwide. That group is One Direction.
When One Direction crossed the pond in 2012 to invade the U.S. with “What Makes You Beautiful”, no one saw it coming. A boy band taking the reigns of radio and album sales charts. It felt like 2000 all over again.
There was one person that saw a void in the market a long time coming. Simon Cowell.
He immediately realized the talent Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson individually had on The X Factor (UK). After the guys failed to progress to the “Boys” category on the show, Cowell placed all five singers into a single group called One Direction. The rest is history.
After finishing third on the show, One Direction secured a $3.25 million recording contract with Cowell’s Syco Records.
The group then released their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” in the U.K. in September 2011. The single immediately became an overnight sensation, taking the #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart. Their subsequent singles “Gotta Be You” and “One Thing” also peaked within the UK Singles Chart’s top 10.
Now it was time to invade the U.S.
One Direction inked a record deal with Columbia Records to secure distribution and promotion throughout North America. The group then went on a media blitzkrieg, performing on every radio and television show from The Today Show to Saturday Night Live. One Direction then secured a spot to open for Big Time Rush on their first American tour.
The group’s first studio album Up All Night was released on March 13, 2012. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, making One Direction the first British group in US chart history to enter at number one with their debut album. As a result. the group was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.
From April to July 2012, One Direction took North American concert-goers by storm. The group set numerous ticket sales and merchandise records throughout the country. In case fans couldn’t make it to one of the group’s 62 concerts throughout the U.S., fans could purchase their Up All Night: The Live Tour dvd. The dvd would top charts in 25 countries and sell over a million copies worldwide.
Thanks to the success of Up All Night and “What Makes You Beautiful” One Direction won the BRIT Award for Best British Single. The group was also invited to perform at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London.
“What you might not know about One Direction is that they already represent a $50 million business,” Sony Music UK chairman Nick Gatfield said about the group’s success. “And that’s a figure we expect to double next year.”
One Direction wasted no time to following up on the success of Up All Night. Competition between songwriters and producers were immense to gain space on the upcoming One Direction album.
BMG Rights Management publisher Dee Demirbag said, “Breaking a boy band in the US 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.”
On November 9, 2012 One Direction released their sophomore album Take Me Home featuring the lead single “Live While We’re Young”. In its first week of sales Take Me Home sold 540,000 copies and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.
What’s in store for 1D in 2013?
The group is now planning their 2013 World Tour. The 100 show tour will feature stops across Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. One Direction will also stay busy with an upcoming 3D biopic that is being filmed on the group by director Morgan Spurlock.
