Though music critics have scoffed at One Direction 's manufactured roots, few can deny that Simon Cowell's young stars have taken the pop world by storm in recent months. Their debut album 'Up All Night' sold over 179,000 copies during its first week of sales in the United States, catapulting it to No.1 on the Billboard Albums Chart.
Some have drawn comparisons between the group's arrival in America and The Beatles first visit to the States in 1964, though One Direction have succeeded where the Fab Four ultimately failed. Their album success means they're the first British pop band to go straight in at No.1 in the U.S. with their first LP. The group's frontman and chief heartthrob Harry Styles told The Guardian, "Whenever we talk to people from the label they don't know what's going on - everyone's just overwhelmed by the reaction.We're just loving it". His band-mate Zayn Malik was cautious with the Beatles comparisons, saying, "It seems ridiculous for that sort of thing to apply to you - you laugh about it, someone comparing you to such a huge phenomenon". Though Adele was all conquering last year, it's generally regarded as unusual for a British act to dominate the U.S. charts in such a way. In 2011, UK boy-band The Wanted reached the Top 5 in America with their single Glad You Came, though this was attributed to the song's appearance on the huge comedy-drama Glee. Simon Cowell, who signed One Direction to his label Syco after they finished third in the 2010 series of The X Factor, said he "couldn't be happier" for the five piece, adding, "It is an incredible achievement.They deserve it. They have the best fans in the world".