One Direction PHOTOS, Then and Now Top Looks
Each member of One Direction - Payne, Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan - failed to make it through to the boot camp round in The X Factor: U.K. as solo artists, but their collective force has made them a worldwide sensation.
They were put together to form a band by one of the show's judges, Simon Cowell, in 2010. The singers hail for different parts of the United Kingdom - Horan from Ireland and Malik from England - but their differences increase their likeability. They are also one of the most successful boy bands in history.
Before becoming household names in the music industry, Styles worked Saturdays mopping floors at the W. Mandeville bakery in his hometown; Tomlinson flipped burgers at the Doncaster Rovers football stadium; and Malik was a waiter at his family's restaurant. Their backgrounds are discussed in their 3D documentary This is Us and also in their Teen Vogue cover story for the magazine's September 2013 issue.
Unlike many other boy bands, the five singers do not, and cannot, dance.
"We look stupid dancing. That's what I think," Payne said. "We just kind of came out and said, "We can't dance. We're a bit lazy. We're just normal lads."
Malik added, "We didn't want to just follow the boy-band formula. We didn't want to do any dancing. We just wanted to be five dudes in a band."
Malik proposed to longtime girlfriend, Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards, on Aug. 18. The couple met in December 2011 on the set of the United K's X Factor and offically began dating in April 2012. They began living together back in February 2013. He is the only 1D singer engaged.
