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One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.

In 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson all applied as solo candidates for the seventh series of The X Factor, but failed to qualify for the "Boys" category. After suggestion by guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, the five were put into a band, thus qualifying for the "Groups" category. After the elimination of F.Y.D., Diva Fever and Belle Amie within four weeks, they were Simon Cowell's last act in the competition. One Direction finished third behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle. Immediately after the final, their song "Forever Young", which would have been released if they had won The X Factor, was leaked onto the internet.