one direction's biography, by : malak mansour [ebook reader android TXT] 📗

Crying Your Heart Out" in a later round. He was cut before the finals, but in a surprise move, judges Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell put him together with fellow competitors Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form a new group act for the remainder of the competition.

 

Performing as One Direction (a name reportedly suggested by Styles), the five boys became one of the most popular contenders in the X Factor finals that season. Although they finished the competition in third place, they were immediately signed to Cowell's Syco music label.

 

One Direction

 

Styles is the youngest member of One Direction, and his curly hair, wide smile and sweet-yet-naughty demeanor have made him a fan favorite. He sang some of the lead vocals on the band's first single, "What Makes You Beautiful," which was released in September 2011 in the United Kingdom. One Direction's debut album, Up All Night, was a best seller in both the United Kingdom and the United States the following year. In another highlight of 2012, Styles and the rest of One Direction performed at the Olympics closing ceremony in London.

 

Dating and Romance

 

Styles is known as "the flirt" of One Direction, and his romantic relationships have been followed obsessively by the press and his fans. In 2011, he began dating television presenter Caroline Flack, whom he met when he was competing on The X Factor and she was hosting its companion show, The Xtra Factor. The difference in their ages—Styles was 17 at the time, and Flack was 32—was the subject of much discussion among Styles' fan base.

 

Since his breakup with Flack in January 2012, Styles has been romantically linked with photographer Sarah-Louise Colivet, models Emma Ostilly and Cara Delevingne, and singers Lily Halpern and Rita Ora. His most-publicized relationship of 2012 was a two-month liaison with pop star Taylor Swift. The two were frequently photographed together, and Swift reportedly referred to Styles in song lyrics and performances after they stopped dating.

 

Quote

 

“I wake up so many mornings feeling so lucky and so grateful to be where we are.”—Harry Styles

CH.5 Niall Horan

Synopsis

 

Niall Horan was born on September 13, 1993, in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. During his school years, he showed talent for singing and performing. At the age of 16, he auditioned for the television show The X Factor and was accepted into the competition. Although he did not make the final rounds as a solo vocalist, he joined forces with four other contestants to form the successful boy band One Direction.

 

Childhood and School Years

 

Niall James Horan was born on September 13, 1993, in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. His parents, Bobby and Maura Horan, divorced when he was a child. He and his older brother, Greg, moved back and forth between their parents' two households before settling in with their father.

 

Niall grew up in Mullingar and attended St. Kenny National School, where he performed in school plays and sang in the school choir. He attended secondary school at Coláiste Mhuire (Mary's College), also in Mullingar. As a teenager he performed at the Mullingar Arts Centre (in a fund-raiser for the local football team, the Shamrocks) and at The Academy in Dublin.

 

Competing on 'The X Factor'

 

In 2010, when he was 16 years old, Horan auditioned for the television talent competition The X Factor. He moved up through several rounds of preliminary auditions culminating in a performance for the program's judges, including Simon Cowell and guest judge Katy Perry, in Dublin. He sang a version of Ne-Yo's "So Sick" and was accepted into the official competition. Although he was eliminated as a solo contestant after the semifinals, the judges combined Horan with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson to form the boy band called One Direction.

 

 

Fame and One Direction

 

Although One Direction did not win the final round of The X Factor, the band immediately received a contract with Cowell's label Syco and recorded its first album, Up All Night, which became a best seller in the United Kingdom in 2011 and the United States in 2012.

 

Horan is the only One Direction member born outside England, and he is the second youngest member of the band. He claims to be inspired by classic swing music and by the vocalist Michael Bublé. He is known for his blonde good looks and boy-next-door appeal, and he has been romantically linked with the actresses Demi Lovato and Freya Mavor, despite denying both rumors.

 

Quote

 

“Every now and then you have like a realization moment where you get goosebumps and think, 'I am literally the luckiest person in the world.'”—Niall Horan

Imprint

Publication Date: 08-27-2014

All Rights Reserved

Dedication: