The boys of One Direction may be on a hiatus, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that July 23rd holds a special place in the hearts of everyone who loves them. They didn’t just make an impact on the music industry over the last 7 years, they made an impact on people around the world – and for reasons much deeper than just music.
One Direction fans are one of a kind, and we’re not saying that because we love the band ourselves. We say it because from supporting the boys to literally carrying their campaigns – there’s not one aspect of the relationship between Harry, Louis, Liam, and Niall and their fans that’s not totally out of this world.
So 7 years of One Direction, even while they’re on hiatus, is still a celebration. It’s a celebration of the bond that has been built, the memories that have been made, the music which set the soundtrack of the lives of their fans, and the home they made in concert venues around the world.
From their start on X-Factor, after each boy auditioned as a solo artist to their seemingly overnight world take over, they’ve been through it all together, and their fans have been there too.
When the media would wage attacks against them, their fans stood in their defense. When the general public thought they were nothing more than a fad, fans got their music to number 1 on world wide charts, painted their cities with posters and flyers of new songs and bought multiple copies of their albums for themselves and for friends.
When the boys went on tour, there were fan projects that painted the entire crowd in beautiful colors, with gorgeous flowers, and signs that showed their love and support for the band. Being in the crowd at a One Direction concert is unlike anything else. It’s more than a music event, it’s more than a couple hours of seeing your favorite artist live, it’s being at home.
When the boys announced that they were taking a break, the fans rallied around them, even though they knew it meant that they’d be gone for the foreseeable future. They promised to support them and stand by them and to never get.
For all the things they’ve contributed to music and to a fandom, we wanted to say thank you.
Thank you for the tours that allowed us to travel around the globe, meeting online friends, making new memories with existing ones. Thanks for making music perfect for singing in the car on road trips.
Thank you for the laughs, the times you brought fans happiness and made us feel safe. Thanks for letting us find homes in new cities, countries, and in one another. Thanks for the fierce loyalty and love you send to all of your fans, it’s not something that can be forgotten.
Thanks for the promises of another chapter, even if it’ll be a while, and thanks for allowing yourselves the time and space to follow your separate dreams. You deserve to have the freedom to find out what works best for you as individuals, you deserve to take time off, you deserve to find happiness outside of the band as well; we’re grateful that you’ve realized it.
Here at CelebMix, we thought of a few of our favorite moments from One Direction’s story so far and wanted to share them with you.
Ellie: Their last performance on The X Factor was just spectacular. Their last group hug and the slideshow as they sang History brought me to tears. In that moment, I felt so proud of them and how far they’ve come, I knew I was going to miss them so so much and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it through the hiatus without going insane (that insane stage is what’s going on right now), but I knew they’d go off to do amazing things and again, concur the world in their own special way apart, rather than together.
Jessica: How the fandom comes together like a family in times of need, people put aside their beliefs (you know their favorites or their ships) and drop everything to just come together and be there for each other. One Direction created an entire family And I hope they know that and I wish I could thank them for that.
Brynn: My favorite moments all surround their On The Road Again Tour. The stage provided an opportunity for the 1D boys to let loose and celebrate music and their fans in the most intimate way. It also allowed fans to connect on a deeper level with the people they have only seen through their phone screen for years. Those concerts just showed how dedicated and loyal 1D fans are, not just through paying for a ticket but also the massive fan projects that were put together. I always loved going on Twitter and seeing videos of Liam and Louis’ water fights, Harry falling onstage, Niall doing a little jig during Act My Age, and the impressive fan projects put on during “Little Things” or “Don’t Forget Where You Belong”. I especially enjoyed getting to see them live in Milwaukee. that’s a memory I hold near and dear to my heart. Their OTRA tour was their final tour (as of now) and they gave 1D fans so much to remember and cherish as a fandom and as individuals.
Amber: Hearing ‘Clouds’ live for the first time was one of the best things I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s such an underrated song and hearing them come out and play it with such emotion was something for the books. FOUR is my absolute favorite album of theirs (don’t hurt me) and ‘Clouds’ is my favorite song so it was pretty special. Also, the release of MITAM. It really showed two things. It showed that they can produce more than the standard pop-rock songs, it showed that they’re songwriters and they’re talented. It really was more than another 1D album, it was more emotional than anyone thought. It also showed that their fans are more than the ‘teenage girls with no taste in music’ that the media made them out to be. They loved the album and reading what they had to say about each song, and how they related to them really showed they are not fans of ‘the boys’ but fans of music, music that speaks to them.
Ashley: Hearing ‘AM’ live meant something special to me, there are so many other moments too, but if I had to pick one stand out moment, it would be that.
Kelly: The release of midnight memories as it was a real turning point for the band musically as they changed their sound a little, which progressed the following year into Four in which they showed just how talented as writers they were.
Gloria: Definitely 1D Day – takes a lot of energy and dedication to do something like that and I loved every second of it.
We hope you all celebrated One Direction’s 7th anniversary by looking back at some of your favorite memories so far. There is so much more to come, and every step on their own is just as important.
For a little more from us, check out our Sunday playlist dedicated to the band, here.