Where were you on July 23, 2010? If you’re a true Directioner, you were probably figuring out if it was worth your time to post pics of some new boy band called One Direction on your dusty MySpace page because, well, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, amirite?
After the five singers failed to make it on their own on The X Factor, they formed the group that went on to global stardom.
So, come July 23rd, it’s time to celebrate 1D’s 10th anniversary in style. According to a release announcing the 1D birthday, a “10 Years of One Direction” website will launch on July 23 that promises to be an “immersive and exciting interactive fan experience.”
Though no URL has been announced at press time, the site promises a timeline charting the group’s history, from their first Factor audition to their 2016 indefinite hiatus. The site promises music videos, artwork, TV performances, behind-the-scenes and rarely-seen content.
The site will also allow Directioners to post their own shareable mixtape playlists, which will be personalized based on how they’ve interacted with the site’s content and the eras they’ve spent the most time diving into. You’ll also be able to connect to some streaming services and save your mixtape playlists to your account.
A new anniversary celebration video will also be released on the anniversary day documenting highlights from the band’s career, from their formation to their “History” single, with music video clips, performances and candid behind-the-scenes videos. Streaming platforms will also host reformatted EPs, with b-sides, rare songs, remixes, live recordings and acoustic tracks.
The release also promises “exciting activations across music streaming services, including creating and updating One Direction playlists.” During their brief career, 1D sold more than 200 million records worldwide and have served up more than 21 billion streams across all streaming platforms. The group’s members have all gone on to successful solo careers.
Payne sent Directioners into a frenzy earlier this month when he uploaded a TikTok in which he FaceTimed a contact titled “H.” Lo and behold, Styles himself answered the call (with what seemed like a pre-recorded video of himself), but, alas, nothing came of that flash of hope.
Ever since the hiatus, fans have been wondering when a reunion might come and the Stylison interaction came just a few months after Horan, Styles and Tomlinson followed Zayn Malik on Twitter in April. Additionally, Payne hinted in not one, but two interviews that the guys have been in touch “a lot more at the moment.”