One Direction celebrated their 10th anniversary on Thursday (June 23).

 

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Each member of the band (minus Zayn Malik, but are you shocked?) celebrated in their own, heartfelt way on Instagram.  Check out Harry, Liam, Niall and Louis’ super-sweet messages below.

 

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I’ve been struggling to put into words how grateful I am for everything that’s happened over the last ten years. I’ve seen things and places that I’d only ever dreamt of when I was growing up. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the most incredible people, and gained friendships that I know I will treasure for the rest of my life. None of this would be possible without the support you’ve given along the way. And for that, I will be forever thankful. I just can’t believe it’s been ten years. Thank you to our crew, our team, and everyone else who helped us along the way. To all the fans, I love you, and I thank you with all my heart. You did it all, and you changed everything. And finally.. to the boys, I love you so much, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything we achieved together. Here’s to ten. H

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In addition, the day was filled with nonstop 1D treats for the fans – a special anniversary video, 4K ultra HD versions of fan-favorite music videos and a chance to relive all your favourite 1D moments with their new website.

 

 

Awwww … look at those baby faces.

 

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Where it all began #10YearsOf1D

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And in an interview with Simon Cowell, the mastermind behind One Direction, he tells Rolling Stone what he initially saw in the boys and reveals why he decided on a boy band rather than solo artists.

 

 

RS: Just to go back to the very beginning: These are all talented guys. But someone as charismatic and talented as Harry alone, how did he not get through as a solo act?
SC: “It’s a good question. He did a great first audition, and then we have a second stage of the competition where we have to narrow the numbers down to 32 from, say, 200, and for whatever reason, all five of them screwed up a section of that particular part of the competition. With him, I think we put it down to his age, etc., and that’s why he didn’t go though, but, at the same time, as we said no to them, there was a part of me going, “We can’t lose them, we gotta do something with them.”

 

RS: Was it, in fact, Nicole Scherzinger who had the idea of putting them together?
SC: “No, it was my idea. [Scherzinger has said that she came up with it.]

 

RS: It was her who suggested it on the show …
SC: “Well, we’ll find the tapes; it was definitely me. I may have asked her to say it, but it was definitely my idea. Yes, I’m sure we got it on tape somewhere where I actually say, “You should say it.”

 

RS: So what did you see in these five people?
SC: “A combination of everything: some particular people who I didn’t want to lose — Harry being one of them; the fact that the groups that year were actually pretty bad; there was actually a gap in the market for a group like them at that particular moment; and then doing what I always do since I’ve run a record label — you have to rely on your gut instinct sometimes to make this decision. And I’ve done this many times and had a lot of success putting groups together. When the five of them walked out onstage I had to make the decision: “Do I bring four back? Do I bring five back?” And it literally took me 15 minutes to get it sorted.”

Filed under: Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, One Direction