One Direction celebrates 10 year anniversary with heartfelt tweets and interactive site (original) (raw)
It's been a decade since the Simon Cowell brought together the boyband on The X-Factor and the guys are sharing their appreciation on social media.
Published on July 23, 2020 12:07PM EDT
Photo: FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
One Direction has a whole lot of history — 10 years of it, to be precise.
On Thursday, the English-Irish boyband celebrated the 10th anniversary of the group's formation with heartfelt tweets and some new content. The guys —Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson (Fifth member Zayn Malik departed the group in 2015.) — launched an immersive and interactive 1D anniversary website for fans that compiles videos, artwork, and more milestones from the band's timeline, from their 2010 auditions on the U.K.'s The X Factor to the beginning of their hiatus in 2016.
"When I met these four gents there was no way I thought we would go on to do what we did," wrote Horan on Twitter. "So many unbelievable memories we shared together. We felt the adoration of millions from around the planet on a daily basis and it was mind blowing."
The band was first brought together by Simon Cowell after each member auditioned as a solo candidate on the competitive singing series. Since their breakup four years ago, they have all (including Malik) embarked on individual solo careers.
"I've been struggling to put into words how grateful I am for everything that’s happened over the last ten years," Styles shared on Twitter alongside a pic of the guys hugging on stage. "I’ve seen things and places that I’d only ever dreamt of when I was growing up." In a thread of tweets, the singer went on to thank the band's crew and team, as well as the fans and, of course, the other members of the group. "To all the fans, I love you, and I thank you with all my heart," he said. "You did it all, and you changed everything.And finally.. to the boys, I love you so much, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything we achieved together. Here’s to ten."
Tomlinson and Payne also shared emotional messages on social media, with the former commenting that he'd spent the morning watching old interviews and performances, and the latter sharing a photo of a text he sent to his dad a decade going saying simply, "I'm in a boyband."
The group also dropped a video on YouTube, commemorating the big 10-year anniversary that looks back at some of the highlights of their career — from sold-out stadium tours to SNL. They also released four new EPs featuring B-sides, remixes, live recordings, and more.
Watch the video above.
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