One Direction charms teenage girls

Following the footsteps of countless other boy bands, the British singing group One Direction is capturing the hearts of teenage girls around the world. While performing on the United Kingdom’s television show, The X Factor, in 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson decided to form a group together. The newly formed One Direction quickly soared to the top of the UK’s music charts after finishing third on the show. In early 2012, One Direction became an American teen sensation after their song “What Makes You Beautiful” took off.

“[One Direction’s] music is amazing, and they go on stage and perform perfectly,” said sophomore and One Direction fan Taryn Eliel. “I think that they will stick around for a very long time. [They] may seem like just another boy band but they actually have a very unique sound.”

Dozens of boy bands have become popular in the last couple of years, because teenage girls  become quickly infatuated, and usually just as quickly disenchanted, with these bands. The Jonas Brothers saw such passing success, topping music charts only from 2006 to 2009.

“I think it is kind of ridiculous how boy bands and people like Justin Beiber get popular so quickly,” senior Lauren Wedekind said. “I think social media like YouTube and Facebook help with that.”

One Direction proves to be unique, as they are a UK band made up of both British and Irish singers. With their accents and sharp sense of style, American girls find themselves with a serious case of “One Direction Infection”. Though they are currently very popular, One Direction’s talent will be proven by the test of time.

Like Eliel, sophomore Megan Bae is also a big One Direction fan but has a more realistic approach to what their future looks like.

“Even though I love [One Direction], I think after their world tour this summer and a couple more years, they are going to fade away,” Bae said. “[They’ll gain popularity], but I am not sure how long they are going to last.”

Whatever the verdict, One Direction plans to continue their Up All Night World Tour and will make a stop to perform in Los Angleles and Anaheim on June 16 and 17.

“I definitely think [One Direction] has a very bright future. They just recently had their debut in America and they’re already off to a great start,” sophomore Grace Cuffel said. “I think we are going to be hearing about them a lot more in the near future.”