One Direction

Few boy bands have risen as quickly as One Direction, the English-Irish group assembled in London in 2010 from five solo hopefuls turned away from The X Factor. Social media carried much of their early momentum, and by the time Zayn Malik left in 2015, the remaining line-up of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson had sold over 70 million records worldwide. Their pop was pitched squarely at teenagers, and it made them one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Put together on The X Factor in July 2010 after failing in the Boys category, they saw their debut single, "What Makes You Beautiful", reach number one on the UK Singles Chart in 2011. Their debut album, Up All Night, made them the first British act to see a debut album top the Billboard 200, and their first four albums all debuted at number one. The Where We Are Tour, in support of Midnight Memories, grossed $290 million, the most by any vocal group. Made in the A.M. (2015) was their final album before an indefinite hiatus began in January 2016, allowing all members to pursue solo projects.