As humans, we choose who to love, when to cry, and what to listen to. Who would’ve thought that a boy band would melt my cold heart that was staying away from love?
One Direction was more than just an English-Irish pop boy band from England; they were the start of a love revolution.
This boy band and their fan base – called ‘Directioners’ – became a huge sensation in 2010, after their audition in the show The X Factor. Originally, the five members went in the auditions solo but judge Simon Cowell unexpectedly joined them together to create a band.
The band members are Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. Although the band finished 3rd place in the competition, the online army of fans continued their support and they became one of the best boy bands of all time.
According to Billboard, the band played over 300 shows across four sold-out world tours, four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, six Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits, four Video Music Awards, 28 Teen Choice Awards, two Saturday Night Live appearances, and billions of streams.
I was in love with One Direction and they taught me how to let love into my life and to open my heart to relationships.
Not many artists have lyrics that can make people believe that chivalry isn’t dead and that love still exists. Their music touched the hearts of millions, by singing the words that people don’t always have the courage to say.
Lyrics like: “I never understood what love was really like, but I felt for the first time looking at your eyes,” from the song Loved You First or “You and I, we don’t want to be like them, we can make it till the end,” from the song You and I.
As cheesy as the lyrics may sound, they became the standards I had for my expectations of love.
Today, people have different views on romantic relationships. Twitter is full of tweets normalizing the terms toxic, toxic men, toxic women, toxic relationships. People even own stickers for computers and cars that say, toxic girlfriend or toxic boyfriend.
Our generation has made toxic relationships something to expect out of something that is meant to be full of love and care for one another. Listening to One Direction today reminds me that romantic relationships can still be found.
One Direction is no longer a band, but fans still support them in their solo careers. Indeed, I give a toast to the beautiful love standard I think One Direction has created for people who listen to their music and the “whole lot of history” the band and the Directioners like me have with one another.