Growing Up with the Band

Every generation has their boybands that all the preteens fall in love with. We’ve heard of NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys, and even the Beatles. The Beatles came from Great Britain and paved the way for what's known as the British Invasion. Now, today’s generation has been taken over by yet another band from across the waters: One Direction. The band released their debut song “What Makes You Beautiful,” pushing themselves to the top of all charts around the globe. Over the next six years, not only did they grow up, so did the fans and their music. The band announced their hiatus in 2016, also releasing their last album with a song that sticks out, “History,” which is described as the band's anthem.

One Direction, once consisting of five band members, now four, has grabbed the hearts of all the preteen girls. The band has been around since 2010, originating from the British singing competition show, The X-Factor UK. All the boys in 2010 were from the ages 16 to 19 while on the show, and the start of their journey to fame. The band embarked on four headlining tours from 2011 to 2015. The tours were back to back and proved how much these five boys were pushed to their limits. Being only in their teens to early 20s, they missed their normal growth years working. They weren't able to attend college or do what normal boys their age would do. As you can imagine, they got very burnt out, thus in 2016, announcing their hiatus.

Let’s go back to the beginning, “What Makes You Beautiful,” a fun and young pop song. Embracing one's beauty with an uplifting beat and catchy chorus. “Baby you light up my world like nobody else, the way you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed, but when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell, you don't know you’re beautiful.” It sparked love and happiness in the hearts of all young teens. Seeing boys who were around the same ages, sing and bounce around to this party song was heartwarming. Instantly hitting number on all the charts across the globe, the band grew just as fast.

Throughout this journey and the pressure, the member Zayn Malik had left the band during their Where We Are Tour, which was their third tour. Yet, the remaining band members did not let this defeat them. They finished the tour and went on to put out a fifth album, Made in the A.M. On this album, the song “History” emerged. The song cherishes the band's history and their love for the fans for always sticking around. It also being uplifting and having a catchy chorus made it another fan favorite. “You and me got a whole lot of history,” as stated in the song, is the band talking about how much the fans and the members have been through together, growing up, releasing music, and finding themselves. They also sing, “All of the rumors, all of the fights, but we always find a way to make it out alive.” Which just reiterates that vibe.

Both of these songs show the growth of the band and the fans together. The songs are amazing representations of what the band has to offer. Showing strength and individuality, but also showing how they are in this journey of life together. From the young catchy pop song to the deep meaningful yet fun song, these songs stand together. Without one, the other wouldn't exist or have as much meaning. They show the progression through the past six years of the band thriving in the music industry. They are both the true embodiment of what One Direction and their fans are. With that said, I am forever grateful I was one of those preteens One Direction caught the heart of.