Semi protected edit request on 25 March 2015 One Direction commonly abbreviated as 1D are an English Irish pop boy band based in London comprising Niall Horan Liam Payne Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson Zayn Malik was formerly a member leaving the band on March 25th 2015 They signed with Simon Cowell s record label Syco Records after forming and finishing third in the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor in 2010 Propelled to international success by social media One Direction s four albums Up All Night 2011 Take Me Home 2012 Midnight Memories 2013 and Four 2014 broke records topped charts in most major markets and generated hit singles including What Makes You Beautiful Live While We re Young Story of My Life and Steal My Girl Their achievements include five Brit Awards four MTV Video Music Awards eleven MTV Europe Music Awards and nineteen Teen Choice Awards out of nineteen nominations among many others According to Nick Gatfield the chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment UK One Direction represented a 50 million business empire by June 2012 They were proclaimed 2012 s Top New Artist by Billboard According to the Sunday Times Rich List by April 2013 they had an estimated personal combined wealth of 25 million 41 2 m making them the second wealthiest musicians in the UK under 30 years of age In 2014 Forbes listed them the second highest earning celebrities under 30 with the group earning an estimated 75 million from June 2013 to June 2014 Justin Bieber is Forbes highest earning celebrity under 30 pocketing 80 m this year which should just about cover his costly legal woes Mail Online Retrieved 25 November 2014 After the release of Four One Direction became the first band in the U S Billboard 200 history to have their first four albums d but at number one cite news