The first Number One

The first Number One

One Direction’s debut single, What Makes You Beautiful (Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha), was released on 11 September 2011 in the UK – but remarkably, it was breaking records before it even went on sale. It became the biggest pre-order in Sony’s single history and went in at number one in the UK and Irish charts as soon as it was on iTunes. The boys cemented their success by selling a staggering 153,000 in their first week of release, with the fun California-shot video providing the perfect backdrop to one of the summer’s biggest tracks. 

Zayn says, “To think we’ve sold the most number of pre-orders when you know some of the artists who have released records through Sony is incredible! We can’t believe it. It’s the most amazing thing.”
In December, the boys headed off on the sold out Up All Night tour which saw them play over 60 dates across the UK and Ireland.

“The best thing about being in 1D is that you get to travel around with four of your best friends,” notes Harry. “We’re having real fun, doing what we love to do. It’s brilliant and I never want it to change.”
February 2012 saw the boys win their first BRIT Award for Best Single at the famous award ceremony in London. And with their successes growing, it was time to take the 1D family abroad.