One Direction: 101 facts you never knew about the boys ❤️

We love One Direction!

One Direction
Author: Emma DoddsPublished 30th Aug 2023

Harry Styles and his fellow One Direction members Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and former member Zayn Malik may have all started out their careers on The X Factor, but they've gone from strength to strength as solo artists too, with Harry finishing his epic 'Love On Tour' in 2023.

Since announcing their hiatus in 2016, all five of the boys have gone on to do amazing things and are still friends, with Niall and Liam reuniting on Instagram Live and even mocking Louis Tomlinson for being 'busy'.

The 10th anniversary of the group wasn't quite the One Direction reunion that many fans had hoped for in 2020, but it didn't stop the boys posting emotional statements about their time in the band. Since then, fans have been hoping for a reunion, take a look at the signs there could be a One Direction reunion.

Here are 101 facts you should definitely know about all the One Direction members:

When are One Direction's birthdays?

1 - Liam Payne was born on 29th August 1993. His star sign in Virgo.

2 - Niall Horan was born on 13th September 1993. Just like Liam, he’s a Virgo.

3 - Zayn Malik was born on 12th January 1993. He’s a Capricorn.

4 - Louis Tomlinson was born on 24th December 1991 and he's a Capricorn just like Zayn.

5 - Harry Styles was born on 1st February 1994 and he's an Aquarius.

6 - Liam and Niall both share the same middle name – James.

7 - Louis’ middle name is William, Harry’s is Edward and Zayn’s is Jawaad.

8 - Zayn’s name is actually spelt with an ‘i’ (Zain). He reckons ‘Zayn’ is more original and adopted it as his stage name!

WATCH: Liam Payne on One Direction and his new music

Where are One Direction from?

9 - Louis was brought up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Other famous people who hail from there include Jeremy Clarkson and Brian Blessed.

10 - Harry was brought up in the village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire.

11 - Liam spent his childhood in Wolverhampton, the birthplace of Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant and Slade’s Noddy Holder.

12 - Niall was brought up in Mullingar in Ireland.

13 - Zayn was brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Other famous Bradfordians include the Brontë sisters, magician Dynamo and Gareth Gates.

14 - During The X Factor auditions, all the 1D boys were students. Niall was at Colaiste Mhuire secondary school in Millingar, Zayn studied at Tong High School in Bradford, Liam was at the City of Wolverhampton College, Harry was a pupil at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School and Louis was a sixth former at Hall Cross School in Doncaster.

15 - All the boys used to live within 100 yards of each other in London. Harry and Louis, who are apparently the messiest members of the band, once shared a house!

Do One Direction have any siblings?

16 - Harry has a sister called Gemma.

17 - Zayn has three sisters but no brothers. They’re called Doniya, Waliyha and Safaa.

18 - Niall has an older brother called Greg.

19 - Louis has six sisters and one brother. They’re called Lottie, Félicité, Daisy, twins Phoebe and Georgia and twins Doris and Ernest. Félicité sadly passed away in 2019.

How tall are the One Direction boys?

20 - Niall and Louis are both 5'8", Harry is 5'11", Liam is 5'10"; and Zayn is 5'9".

One Direction on The X Factor

21 - Harry didn't always want to be a singer. Before he took part in The X Factor , he had ambitions to be a lawyer! See previously unseen footage of Harry's X Factor audition .

22 - Before auditioning for The X Factor, Harry was the frontman of the band White Eskimo which featured his school friends Haydn Morris, Nick Clough and Will Sweeney.

23 - Zayn’s X Factor audition wasn’t broadcast on the main show. When he had progressed further it was retrospectively shown on spin-off show, The Xtra Factor.

24 - Liam also took part in the 2008 series of The X Factor, making it through to the Judges' Houses round and visited Simon’s house in Barbados where he was cruelly eliminated.

25 - Niall sang Ne-Yo’s ‘So Sick’ in the X Factor first round and received glowing praise from Louis Walsh. A big Oasis fan, he later covered ‘Champagne Supernova’ at bootcamp.

26 - Liam sang ‘Cry Me A River’ in his 2010 audition and received a standing ovation. At bootcamp he covered Oasis’ ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out.’

27 - Louis auditioned with Plain White T’s ‘Hey There Delilah’ and got a clean sweep of green lights from the judges.

28 - Harry impressed two out of the three judges in The X Factor's first round with a version of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Isn’t She Lovely’. Louis Walsh had doubts but he progressed after singing ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ at bootcamp.

29 - It was guest judge, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, who suggested that Harry, Niall, Zayn, Liam and Louis should be put together as a group at The X Factor bootcamp. Watch some previously unseen footage of the One Direction line-up being chosen .

30 - Harry came up with the band name One Direction.

31 - One Direction finished third on The X Factor behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson.

32 - After coming third on The X Factor, One Direction were snapped up by Simon Cowell’s record label Syco.

33 - Had One Direction won The X Factor, they would have released a cover of the 1984 synthpop anthem ‘Forever Young’ by German group Alphaville. 1D’s version leaked onto the internet soon after The X Factor was finished.

34 - 1D took part in The X Factor Live Tour from February to April 2011.

35 - Along with fellow former contestants JLS , 1D guested on the 2011 The X Factor finalists single ‘Wishing On A Star’ in November 2011. It charted at Number 1 with first-week sales of 98,932.

36 - Simon Cowell believed that the band had what it takes to become one of the biggest boy bands on the planet, telling the Daily Star, "I think they are the new Take That ."

One Direction's songs and albums

37 - 1D’s debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ entered the UK chart at Number 1 selling a whopping 153,965 copies in its first week. It also smashed the pre-order sales record at One Direction’s label Sony Music. It has now had more than 1 billion streams.

38 - 1D’s second single ‘Gotta Be You’ was released on 13th November 2011 and reached Number 3 in the UK chart.

39 - 1D’s third single ‘One Thing’ was released digitally on 6th January 2012 and reached Number 28 on the chart.

40 - One Direction albums are known to top the charts – their debut album ‘Up All Night’ was the 16th biggest-selling album of 2011 in the UK, shifting 468,000 copies.

41 - ‘Up All Night’ also charted in the Top 10 in Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, New Zealand and Australia.

42 - Despite not hitting the top spot, ‘Up All Night’ was the highest-selling Number 2 album of 2011 with 138,163 copies sold in the first week alone.

WATCH: Louis Tomlinson Reveals What He Misses The Most About One Direction

43 - On their 53:14 min long debut album ‘Up All Night’, Harry gets 7:18 min worth of solos, Liam has 7:08 min, Zayn has 5:38 min, Louis has 1:29 min and Niall has 1:24 min.

44 - ‘Up All Night’ was recorded in three separate places – London, Los Angeles and Sweden.

45 - Ed Sheeran and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson both penned tracks for ‘Up All Night’.

46 - Niall, Liam, Louis, Zayn and Harry co-wrote four songs on the record – ‘Taken’, ‘Everything About You’, ‘Same Mistakes’ and ‘Save You Tonight’.

47 - ‘Up All Night’ sold 1,086,434 copies in the UK and has been certified 3x Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

48 - ‘Up All Night’ was released in the US and Canada on 20th March 2012 on Columbia Records.

49 - ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ won the Best British Single at the 2012 BRIT Awards .

50 - 1D once said they would really love to collaborate with Bruno Mars . They told teen.com, "He has great songs, great stage presence, an unbelievable performer. His vocals are absolutely flawless."

One Direction’s music videos

51 - The ‘One Thing’ music video was shot at various locations in London on 28th November 2011 and premiered on YouTube 13th January 2012.

52 - The ‘Gotta Be You’ video was filmed in New York and on the banks of Lake Placid.

53 - As of September 2023, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ has had over 1.4 BILLION views on YouTube!

WATCH: One Direction - 'What Makes You Beautiful' (Official Music Video)

One Direction’s tours

54 - One Direction’s 2011/2012 UK tour sold out in just 12 minutes.

55 - 1D’s debut tour of North America saw the boys support US band Big Time Rush. They played 10 shows kicking off at Chicago Rosemont Theatre on 24th February 2012.

56 - The One Direction boys said that they preferred to sleep in their tour bus rather than a hotel when they were out on tour.

57 - One Direction had a bizarre pre-gig ritual of eating Haribo sweets together.

One Direction's solo music

58 - Zayn Malik was the first to leave the band. He left on the 25th March 2015.

59 - Liam Payne released his debut EP on 24th August 2018 - five days before his 25th birthday.

60 - Since going solo the boys have released songs with very similar titles to their One Direction songs . Liam Payne's debut solo track was called 'Strip That Down', which is a similar name to One Direction's 2015 single 'Drag Me Down'. Niall has a track called 'You And Me', again, very similar to 1D's 'You and I'. Harry, Louis and Zayn also have major hits that have strikingly similar names to One Direction hits 'Hey Angel', 'Back For You' and 'I Would'.

Can One Direction play any instruments?

61 - Niall and Harry are both accomplished guitar players!

One Direction: Dating

62 - While on The X Factor, Harry had a big crush on judge Cheryl Tweedy - with whom his bandmate Liam went on to have a two-year relationship, welcoming son Bear Grey Payne together. He’s joked that his man crush is bandmate Louis!

63 - Niall also used to say his ideal woman was Cheryl and his man crush was Michael Bublé.

64 - Louis’ celebrity crush was Diana Vickers and his man crush was Robbie Williams - who he later sat on The X Factor panel with!

65 - Liam’s celebrity crush was Leona Lewis and his man crush was stand-up comedian Michael McIntyre.

66 - Zayn fancied the pants off Megan Fox and had a secret man crush on Justin Timberlake.

67 - Zayn says he has a soft spot for intelligent girls.

68 - Liam started dating One Direction backing dancer Danielle Peazer in December 2010.

69 - Harry said he would happily date a fan! When asked, he said: "Yeah definitely, because if you like someone, you like someone. If they’re a fan it shouldn’t make any difference."

70 - Zayn dated fellow X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson for four months but the relationship ended when they “drifted apart”. Rebecca is six years older than Zayn.

One Direction facts

One Direction on social media

71 - The band’s Twitter IDs are @Harry_Styles , @NiallOfficial , @zaynmalik , @LiamPayne and @Louis_Tomlinson .

72 - Niall has the most X (formerly Twitter) followers with 40.4 million - although Harry is close with 37.7 million (as of September 2023).

What are One Direction's favourite TV shows?

73 - Liam once cried while watching Marley & Me. Bless.

74 - Niall’s favourite movie of all time is Grease.

75 - Liam’s favourite film is Toy Story.

76 - Harry’s favourite TV show is Family Guy, and the band even appeared on the show once! His favourite movie is Love Actually - however, he tells everyone it’s Fight Club to seem more manly!

More of One Direction's favourite things

77 - Zayn’s favourite book is Harry Potter.

78 - Zayn’s favourite band of all time is *NSYNC, and Louis' favourite band is The Fray.

79 - Niall’s favourite colour is blue.

80 - Liam is an avid fan of boxing.

81 - Niall says he’s only read one book – the American classic ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’.

82 - Harry Styles' musical heroes are The Beatles and Elvis, and he’s also a huge Coldplay fan.

83 - Speaking of Elvis, Harry Styles was in the running to play Elvis Presley in an upcoming biopic directed by Moulin Rouge!'s Baz Luhrmann, but lost out on the role to Austin Butler. Also in the running was Baby Driver actor Ansel Egort, who won the main role in Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story from Liam.

84 - Zayn, Louis and Harry all support Manchester United. Liam is a West Bromwich Albion fan while Niall follows Derby County.

85 - Zayn’s favourite song is ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson, Harry loves ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ by Pink Floyd, Louis’ choice is ‘Look After You’ by The Fray while Niall’s is Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’. Liam prefers ‘Happy Birthday’ as it means he will open presents!

86 - Harry has also said his favourite song of all time is ‘Free Falling’ by John Mayer.

87 - If Louis had a superpower, he would fly.

88 - Liam’s favourite colour is purple.

WATCH: Louis Tomlinson 'Answers The Internet'

Weird and wonderful facts about One Direction

89 - Niall is left-handed.

90 - Zayn can’t swim.

91 - One Direction were the brand ambassadors for the computer game Pokémon Black and White and appeared on TV adverts and performed at events.

92 - The ‘One Direction 2012 Calendar’ was the best-selling calendar of all time on Amazon.co.uk ahead of Cheryl Cole and JLS’s official 2011 calendars.

93 - Niall has a very bizarre good luck mascot – a pair of white socks.

94 - Liam once confessed to owning a pair of pink hair straighteners. Nice!

95 - The One Direction dolls were all 30cm in height and were created using laser-image face-sculpts for maximum authenticity.

96 - Harry makes a brief cameo appearance in Ed Sheeran’s first ‘Drunk’ video. It was filmed backstage at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

97 - Liam Payne STILL got pocket money off his mum after joining One Direction. Speaking at an event in New York, Liam revealed: "When I was growing up I did have an allowance, I can't remember how much it was, but my mum made sure that we all got paid. The funny thing was we had it up until the age of 18 and obviously I was already in the band at this point and my mum made sure that I got all my allowance money, bless her, whilst I was in the band as well."

98 - 1D’s first book 'One Direction: Forever Young (Our Official X Factor Story)’ debuted at Number 1 on the Sunday Times Bestseller list.

99 - In December 2011, Niall had braces fitted on his teeth. You’ll have to look very close to see them as they’re white ones.

100 - Liam only has one kidney after getting one removed as a kid. He’s completely teetotal and never touches a drop of alcohol, as he explains, “It’s just a choice to be on the safe side.”

101 - Liam has a very unusual phobia – SPOONS! He admits it’s “very strange” and would like to invent an ‘anti-spoons’ app for mobile phones.

Take a look at One Direction through the years:

2010: One Direction were born on The X Factor

One Direction formed on The X Factor in 2010. Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik auditioned as individual contestants and were put together as a group by Simon Cowell and guest judge Nicole Scherzinger.

2010: One Direction finish in third place on The X Factor

Despite racking up an army of fans during their time on the show, One Direction didn't win The X Factor. Instead they finished in third place behind Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.

2011: One Direction release first single 'What Makes You Beautiful'

After landing a record deal following their appearance on The X Factor, One Direction released their first ever single 'What Makes You Beautiful' in September 2011.


The single, which hit the Number 1 spot in the UK charts, served as the lead single from their debut album 'Up All Night'.

2011: One Direction release their debut album 'Up All Night'

The 1D boys recorded their debut album in the UK, America and Sweden, releasing 'Up All Night' in November 2011 in the UK and Ireland.


The album featured lead single 'What Makes You Beautiful', as well as future singles, 'Gotta Be You' and 'One Thing'.

2011: One Direction return to The X Factor

After a successful year in the music industry, One Direction returned to the show that made them famous, to perform their single 'Gotta Be You'.

2011-2012: The Up All Night Tour

Following the success of their debut album, One Direction kicked off their The Up All Night Tour in Decmeber 2011, going on to play 54 dates across the UK, Ireland, Oceania and North America.


The tour was an instant success, with tickets for all dates selling out within a matter of minutes of going on sale. The tour was later turned into a DVD, titled Up All Night: The Live Tour.

2012: One Direction release second album 'Take Me Home'

One Direction didn't wait long before they released their second studio album! Titled 'Take Me Home', the boys dropped the album in November 2012, with it going on to top the charts in 35 countries!


'Take Me Home' featured singles such as 'Live While We're Young', 'Kiss You' and 'Little Things'.

2012: One Direction win their first ever BRIT Award

2012 was a great year for One Direction! The band picked up their first ever BRIT Award in the British Single category, for their debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful'.


The band beat the likes of Adele, Ed Sheeran, JLS and Olly Murs to pick up the gong, which became the first of seven for the band over the years.

2012: One Direction launch their own dolls

As if dominating the charts wasn't enough, the One Direction boys teamed up with Hasbro in 2012 to launch their very own range of plastic dolls.

2013: The Take Me Home Tour

After the worldwide success of their debut tour, One Direction went on their Take Me Home tour in 2013, playing at sold-out shows in countries like England, China, Australia and America.

2013: One Direction: This Is Us

Whilst touring the world with the Take Me Home tour in 2013, One Direction released a 3D-documentary film about the time on their road, titled One Direction: This Is Us.


The film, which showed clips of the boys on stage and behind the scenes, grossed $68 million worldwide.

2013: One Direction release their third album 'Midnight Memories'

Just weeks after finishing their massive Take Me Home tour, One Direction dropped their third studio album, titled 'Midnight Memories'.


The album flew straight to Number 1 in both the UK and the US, becoing the fastest selling album of 2013, despite being released just a few weeks before 2014.


The record featured the singles, 'Best Song Ever', 'Story of My Life', 'Midnight Memories', and 'You & I'.

2013: One Direction release charity single for Comic Relief

The One Direction boys did their bit for charity in 2013, mashing-up a medley of Blondie's 'One Way or Another' and The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks'.


The track titled 'One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)' was released as the official Red Nose Day single in 2013, with then Prime Minister David Cameron even making a cameo appearance in the music video.

2013: One Direction land in Madame Tussauds

In 2013, One Direction become the first boy band to be created into waxworks for Madame Tussauds London since The Beatles' figures in 1964.


The waxworks were one of the museums most popular installments of the last decade, and we can see why!

2014: The Where We Are Tour

Following on from their mammoth 2013 tour, the 1D boys went back out on the road in 2014, this time with their Where We Are Tour.


Playing at sold-out dates across the world, the tour ran between April and October, with the boys performing at 69 shows in total.


The tour was the band's biggest to date, with over 3,439,560 million fans turning up to see their idols perform.

2014: One Direction release their fourth album

Released in November 2014, One Direction released their final album as a five-piece, titled 'Four'.


The album, which featured hits like 'Steal My Girl' and 'Stockholm Syndrome', debuted at Number 1 in a massive 18 countries!

2015: One Direction kick off their On The Road Again Tour

In February 2015, Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Niall kicked off their fourth tour, titled On The Road Again. The tour, which turned out to be their last as a band, grossed $208 million from 80 shows.

2015: Zayn announces he's leaving

Zayn Malik broke the hearts of many One Direction fans in March 2015, announcing he was leaving the popular group.


One Direction said in a statement at the time, "After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave On Direction. Niall, Harry, Liam and Louis will continue as a four-piece and look forward to the forthcoming concerts of their world tour and recording their fifth album, due to be released later this year."

2015: One Direction continues as a group of four

Harry, Louis, Niall and Liam continued One Direction as a four-piece, finishing their On The Road Again tour in October 2015.

2015: One Direction release their final album

The One Direction boys dropped their first album as a four-piece in November 2015, titled 'Made In The A.M.'


The album, which turned out to be the band's last, featured singles like 'Drag Me Down', 'Perfect' and 'History', and went on to be the sixth best-selling album of 2015.

2015: One Direction announce their hiatus

Much to the heartbreak of fans across the world, One Direction announced they would be taking an extended hiatus, which would start in 2016.

2015: One Direction return to The X Factor for a final time

After confirming they were set to take a break, Harry, Louis, Liam and Niall performed at The X Factor final in December 2015, leaving fans in tears as they performed 'History'.


Simon Cowell thanked the band for their hard work over the years, expressing his admiration for the group.

2016: One Direction start their hiatus

Following their final televised performance on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on 31st December 2015, the One Direction boys went their separate ways, all going on to release solo music.

2016: Louis Tomlinson becomes a dad

In January 2016, Louis announced the birth of his son Freddie Reign Tomlinson with his ex-girlfriend Brianne Jungwirth.


The singer uploaded this cute photo to his Instagram page and wrote on Twitter, 'I'm pleased to say my baby son was born yesterday :) He is healthy and pretty amazing :) I'm very happy!!'. (sic)

'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' with Zayn - 2017

This track was recorded for the soundtrack to 'Fifty Shades Darker', it was the most popular hit from the movie franchise.
Listen to 'I Don't Wanna Live Forever' on YouTube.

2016: Niall Horan releases his debut solo single 'This Town'

Niall delighted One Direction fans in September 2016 when he dropped his debut solo single 'This Town'. The track was the lead single from his debut album 'Flicker' which was released in 2017.


The singer went on to release hits such as 'Slow Hands' and 'Nice To Meet Ya', before dropping his second solo album, titled 'Heartbreak Weather' in March 2020.

2016: Louis Tomlinson teams up with Steve Aoki

Louis teamed up with American DJ Steve Aoki to release his debut solo single 'Just Hold On' in December 2016. Just days after the tragic death of his mum Johannah Deakin, Louis gave an emotional performance of the track on The X Factor.


The singer went on to release hits like 'Miss You', 'Back To You' and 'We Made It', before dropping his debut solo album 'Walls' in January 2020.

2017: One Direction win their seventh BRIT Award

Despite being on a hiatus, Liam and Louis attended the 2017 BRIT Awards to collect the band's seventh BRIT Award! The band picked up an award in the Best Video category for their single 'History'.

2017: Liam Payne becomes a dad

In March 2017, after one of the most secretive pregnancies ever, Liam announced he'd become a dad after his then girlfriend Cheryl Cole had given birth to a baby boy called Bear Grey Payne.


The couple sadly split in 2018, but both Liam and Cheryl continue to co-parent Bear.

2017: Harry Styles releases debut solo music

After much anticipation, in April 2017 Harry released his debut solo single 'Sign Of The Times', showing a complete different sound to One Direction.


The singer went on to release his self-titled debut album in the same year, before dropping his second album 'Fine Line' in 2019.


In May 2020, Harry excited fans by releasing the amazing music video for his latest single 'Watermelon Sugar'.

2017: Liam Payne kicks off his solo career

Following on from his 1D band mates, Liam dropped his debut solo single 'Strip That Down' in 2017, before going on to release hits like 'Get Low', 'For You' and 'Bedroom Floor'.


Despite making fans wait, Liam went on to drop his debut solo album 'LP1' in December 2019, before teaming up with Alesso for the single 'Midnight' in 2020.

2017: Harry Styles made his acting debut

After releasing his debut solo music, Harry also landed a role in Christopher Nolan's box office movie Dunkirk!


Harry played the role of a young solider called Alex, as hundreds of thousands of soldiers tried to evacuate from Dunkirk beach during the early stages of World War II.

2020: Zayn Malik announces he's going to become a dad

After years of dating on and off, in 2020 American model Gigi Hadid announced she was expecting her first child with former 1D singer Zayn Malik! They welcomed a baby girl called Khai in September 2020, before splitting in October 2021.

2020: One Direction reunion rumours

After years of working on their solo careers, rumours of a One Direction reunion really started to become more frequent in 2020, as the boys celebrate their 10th year anniversary.


Despite a number of the lads teasing the possibility of a 1D reunion, up until now, nothing has been confirmed.

2022: One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' music video reaches 1 billion views

In May 2022, One Direction's 'Drag Me Down' music video reached 1 billion views on YouTube. The song was originally released in 2015, it was the first music video to not feature former member Zayn Malik, who had left earlier that year.

2023: One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' reaches 1 billion streams

'What Makes You Beautiful' was the debut song released by One Direction back in 2011 and in August it reached 1 billion streams. It has already surpassed 1 billion views for the music video on YouTube.

MORE 1D FACTS:

101 LOUIS TOMLINSON FACTS

101 LIAM PAYNE FACTS

101 NIALL HORAN FACTS

101 HARRY STYLES FACTS

101 ZAYN MALIK FACTS

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