We weren’t very demanding on the tour at all. In the dressing room shared by all the male performers we had a little basket which was filled with sweets, drinks, chips and fruit, but that was it. It was great sharing a room with the other guys from the show and getting to hang out with people like Aiden and Matt, because I love those guys. Aiden is a lot like me. He’s quite laid-back and reserved and we get on really well. I got on well with Wagner too. He’s very funny and has so many stories to tell. He kept everyone entertained and I used to make time just to hear his stories. In my eyes he’s a living legend.
We had quite a few hotel parties on tour. There was always a private bar where we could chill out and chat after shows, so that was a good time to catch up with people. It was nice doing things like that, and also just being myself and playing games. We all got our own rooms, so if we wanted to have time to ourselves, we could. So sometimes after shows I’d head to my room and chill out. I need that. Having time alone is how I keep myself sane.
Ireland was one of my favorite places to visit on the tour. They absolutely love The X Factor over there. Getting to play Wembley was wicked as well. I’d happily go on tour again tomorrow.
To me the most surprising thing about fame so far is that you don’t realize how recognizable you are. Louis and I wanted to go out the other night, but there was just no way as there were loads of people around, and if there’s more than one of you it’s much more likely you’ll get spotted. I went to the supermarket with my mom recently and because I wore a hat and glasses I didn’t get recognized until after I’d left. So there are ways around it if you’re on your own and you do want a quiet time.
It’s so weird because I’ll forget about everything and then someone will be like “It’s you.” And I’m thinking, “I’m just Zayn Malik, that kid from Bradford who used to stay in his room and play on the computer all the time.”
Press attention scares me a little bit as well. I worry about being seen as a bad person. Everyone makes mistakes, but when you’re famous it’s plastered everywhere. I don’t quite know how to deal with everything yet. I want to be open, but I’m still learning about how open I can be and who I can trust totally.
The maddest things have happened to us since the band kicked off. Rio Ferdinand’s invited us to his restaurant, we’ve got our own merchandise coming out, and we also filmed a Nintendo ad. We filmed it in a lovely hotel in London and it wasn’t at all forced, it was just us lot messing around and playing on DS and having a laugh. We had so many things happening, before we had even released our album, which was mad. We could not be more excited about making music and having it out there.
We had been looking forward to getting a book released, and when so many people went out and bought the first one and came along to book signings it made us realize how many fans we had. There wasn’t a dull moment during the signings and we got masses of presents. We got chocolates and roses, and Liam even got some Play-Doh!
The book signings were some of the earliest promotional things we did, and we also did some photo shoots for various things, which I don’t mind at all because I’m a bit of a poser. We also went on the Alan Titchmarsh show, and that was even weirder for me than being on The X Factor. That whole experience had been such a blur, but this felt much more real and it really hit home that we were known and kind of famous.
The weirdest thing was when the Nintendo ad came on. I was at my friends’ house and seeing us on TV was crazy. I’ve only really got two close friends, Danny and Anthony; they love the fact that I’m famous and we stay in touch all the time.
We started working on the documentary earlier in the year. We didn’t find it nearly as strange as we thought we would, probably because we’d had cameras following us around all of the time on The X Factor and we’d been thrown in at the deep end back then. We’d had a lot of experience, so we didn’t freeze in front of the cameras, we were just ourselves. When you’re used to it you soon forget that the cameras are there. We just got on with it really, so what people see is what really happened.
The wrap party for the tour was an interesting one. Quite a few people were boogying and getting down, but I had a flight to Spain early the next day so I left by midnight and went to bed. My experience of the wrap party was tame compared to some of the other guys. I was sad to see the tour end, but going on holiday was wicked.
Recording the album was fantastic for me because I love anything to do with song lyrics and recording. I’d never been to Sweden before, so going there was a totally new experience, and it was such an amazing place. We also loved getting to go back to LA, because the first time around we only got to spend five days there and we didn’t see a lot. This time we were there for three weeks, so we got to go out and see more places.
It feels so strange when I look back to before The X Factor, when I didn’t even have a passport and hadn’t been outside the UK. Now all of a sudden I’ve been to all of these amazing places. It’s weird but it’s wicked as well. I enjoy flying—it’s very cool.
As soon as we started recording music we were aware that people would be surprised by it, because it’s not typical boy band music. There’s nothing else out there like our sound at the moment. It’s completely new. It’s One Direction’s sound and we love it.
When we found out we were going to be doing our own tour we were so happy. For the first time it’s not just about The X Factor, it’s about One Direction. We’ve been given the chance to shine, and really show people how much we’ve improved and progressed since the show.
This whole year has been really interesting and a lot of fun, and I’m excited about everything that’s coming up, because there are going to be a few surprises here and there.
QUICKFIRE
DOB: 1/12/1993
STAR SIGN: Capricorn
favorite…
BOOK: Harry Potter
FILM: Freedom Writers
BODY PART: My jaw line
FOOD: Chicken
ALBUM: Donell Jones
FRIEND: Liam Payne
CELEBRITY LADY: Megan Fox
SHOP: Topman
DRINK: Red Bull
COLOR: Red
TV SHOW: Family Guy
AFTERSHAVE: Unforgivable by Sean John
PERFUME: I don’t know names but I like sweet ones.
COMPUTER GAME: Halo
IPHONE APP: Fat Face
WAY TO SPEND A SUNDAY: In bed
DATE VENUE: Restaurant
COUNTRY: England
RESTAURANT: Nandos
WAY TO RELAX: Chilling out in bed
MODE OF TRANSPORT: Car
NIGHT OUT: Cinema
BAND: *NSYNC
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR DUVET COVER? Black
WHAT KIND OF UNDERWEAR DO YOU WEAR? Jersey boxers
FIRST PET: A staffie dog called Tyson
DO YOU LIKE YOUR OWN COMPANY OR OTHER PEOPLE’S? I like my own company. I do like people, but I like being alone too
LAST BOOK YOU READ: A Child Called It
LAST FIVE THINGS YOU BOUGHT: Clothes, clothes, clothes, clothes and clothes
WHAT TYPE OF GIRLS DO YOU LIKE? Someone I can get on with. I don’t have a specific type looks-wise. I want someone who I feel comfortable around and I can spoil a bit
PHOTOS
THANKS
ONE DIRECTION: We would like to thank everyone who has helped us to reach this amazing milestone—our second book! We’re extremely proud. To everyone who has supported us before we were One Direction, especially to our families and our friends—thank you.
To everyone that we have worked with in the last year, we are so incredibly grateful for your guidance, diligence, encouragement and belief. We’re going to do our damnedest to make you proud!
Finally, to our fans. It’s hard to avoid a cliché here, but we really wouldn’t be here without you! Your generosity and love constantly surprise us. THANK YOU! X
HARRY: This year has been incredible through the X Factor tour and making the a
lbum, and there are some people I have to thank.
I want to thank Simon Cowell, Sonny Takhtar, Tyler Brown, Mark Hardy, Kim ‘Jimmy’ Davidson, Reema Chuhan, Russel Eslamafir, Simon Jones and everyone at SYCO and Sony.
A huge thank you goes to Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee, Will Bloomfield, Marco Gastel, Katie Ray, Annecka Griffiths, Emily Montgomery and everyone at Modest Management.
And thanks to Nicola Carson and Innis Ferguson for looking after us in America, and for showing us how to drink mud.
I want to thank my family for supporting me the whole time through this experience so far—my mom, dad, sister, Robin, Mike, Amy, Noel and Archie. I want to thank my cousins Matthew, Ben and Ella. And I’d like to thank my auntie and uncle, Mike and Dee. I want to thank my granddad Brian for being the coolest guy ever. And I’d like to thank and congratulate my grandma Beryl for getting to the phone in time when I call her. Thanks too to my grandparents Mary and Keith for watching over me.
I want to thank my friends for always being there for me—John, Ben, Nick, Naomi, Emilie, Ashley, Sophie, Ellis, Lydia and Will. Love seeing you guys even though it doesn’t happen that much…miss you guys.
I want to thank my sister again for always understanding me being busy, but always being there to talk when I am free. I love you.
I want to say a huge thank you to our tour manager Paul Higgins—you help us with so many things and we couldn’t ask for a better guy to have with us…and congratulations on your recent wedding…your wife is hot.
A big thanks to our security team, who do an incredible job at keeping us in check.
Thanks to Ali Barker and Savan for overseeing and helping us through all new things we encountered while we were making the album.
A massive thank you goes out to all the fans, whose support has been incredible…you guys are unbelievable and we wouldn’t be where we are without you, so thank you so much.
I’d like to thank Alex Kadis for being the smartest person ever and being so easy to talk to…and helping me see things in different ways…she’s the best “teacher.”
A massive thank you to Dennis for your many words and just for being you…I’m still mulling over your words of wisdom!!
Thank you to Louis, Liam, Zayn and Niall for being so hard working and just great people…it’s incredible that we choose to spend extra time with each other after the all-day sessions, haha!
I’m extremely sorry if I’ve missed anyone…I love you all.
LIAM: Thanks to my mom and dad for their support. Wherever I end up in the world they’re always on the other end of a phone when I need them. Thanks too to my sisters Nicola and Ruth for taking me out and about when I’m bored at home and putting up with me being immature :) I’d like to re-thank all of the X Factor production and crew team for helping us through the whole X Factor experience.
I’d also like to thank a few people who helped me before all of this—Jamie from the Great Western Pub for giving me the opportunity to sing in public and have a great time doing so; Graham Lauren for many vocal lessons; Roysten, Nick and Ashley and all of their team for cutting my hair :)
To Ronnie, Paul and Hannah and their families for all their hard work and help before all this, making things fun and exciting even if I was only singing to three people in a field, haha. I’d like to thank the team that we have around us 24/7 for putting up with our madness; Preston and Ian from the security team for having a laugh with us and keeping us all smiley; and Paul for being a fantastic tour manager and for being like a big brother (didn’t want to call you dad) and always being there for us to talk to if there is a problem.
Lou from hair and makeup, Caroline and Lydia from styling for making sure we look our best.
Thank you also to Vicky and the wonderful team at HarperCollins for turning our thoughts into words and for all your hard work.
All of the people who are writing songs for us—you’re doing a fantastic job, I love almost everything I hear. Special thanks to Rami for writing the first single.
I’d like to thank all of our team at SYCO—Kim and Mark from marketing for coming up with all their great ideas, Sonny and Tyler from A&R for finding the best songs for us, and lastly Simon for being a great boss.
I’d like to thank Richard, Harry and Will, and Marco and Emily from management for putting us in the best position possible for the times ahead, and for putting up with our madness.
I’d like to give a big huge thank you to all of my boys for becoming the best four friends/brothers I have. You’ve all made this the most amazing and exciting time ever, and it would be pointless without you.
I’d lastly like to make the hugest and biggest and super-huge thank you to all our fans. No matter where we are in the world you never stop coming to show your support and we love you for it, thank you so much.
Sorry for anyone I have missed but I appreciate everything you ever did for me so don’t be mad at me for missing you out!!
LOUIS: What an incredible year I’ve had, and I’d like to take a moment to thank every person who has made this year so special to me.
I would like to start off by saying a massive thanks to Simon, Sonny and everyone at SYCO who was involved with offering us a record contract. Ali Barker, thank you for helping us in the early stages of making the record. And of course Tyler Brown—fair play for putting up with our constant abuse and banter.
Massive thanks to the pregnant idiot that is Lou Teasdale. You’re an absolute babe and have done a great job of what was a very embarrassing bowl-shaped haircut.
Modest Management have all been fantastic—special thanks to Richard and Harry and for some funny memories, one of which was dressing up in Richard’s coat and massively trendy Manchester United cap. Annecka and Will were great friends during the tour but also a great laugh. Big thanks to our current manager Will Bloomfield, who get’s involved with the banter. However he needs to give me a heads up when he’s going to wear stripes, as it’s a bit embarrassing when me and my manager have matching t-shirts. Marco, keep up the hard work and the Milan vibes.
A very special thanks to Paul Higgins, who has been a great leader, but also a great friend to all of us. And of course to Preston—thank you for letting us put our heads out of the sun-roof and drink on the job (that’s obviously a joke!).
Mom, you have been my best, best friend throughout this experience, I can’t thank you enough for all your help. Thank you for being so selfless and generous. I love you.
Thank you to the rest of my family and friends, especially my dad, my four lovely sisters, who are growing up so fast, both sets of my grandparents, my great nan Olive, my aunty Rach, and Stan and Hannah. Again, I would also like to thank Edna and Leonard, who were my great grandparents who I miss dearly. I know my nan would be telling everyone at line-dancing about everything, and the same for my granddad at the pub while playing dominoes. I love you all dearly.
Of course a special thanks to the KFC Colonel for giving me the opportunity to embrace the “Krushems” experience, something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Colonel—I’m truly grateful. Also, of course, a thank you to Mecca Bingo—without such a fantastic game my life wouldn’t be complete.
Massive thanks to all the fans for their continued support throughout The X Factor, during the tour and right through to buying our first single. We would be nothing without you, thank you so much for everything. We love you!
Finally, of course, thank you to the four boys that have kept up the laughs and jokes through this amazing experience: Harry, Liam, Zayn and Niall. I’m so lucky to have met you all.
Going through all these thank yous has made me truly grateful for everything that everyone does for me. I am incredibly lucky to have you all.
Thank you so much, guys.
NIALL: I would like to start off by saying that this has been the most amazing year of my life so far. We have been on the X Factor arena tour—what an amazing experience. We have been recording our first album, and duri
ng that process we have been able to travel so much; we have been to Sweden and LA, and got to work with some of the best producers in the world.
While we’ve been doing this, we have had help and guidance from some amazing people. I would now like to thank some of these people!
Thanks to our amazing tour manager, the one and only Paul Higgins, who comes everywhere with us and is with us 24/7. Without you we would be goosed, you are a top guy (obviously being Irish plays a big part in that…). Big thanks also to all our other security lads.
I would also like to thank our general manager Will Bloomfield and his assistant Marco Gastel, who have been amazing with us. Will’s knowledge of the industry is endless and he is always there if we need a helping hand! Thanks also to everyone at Modest Management, the backbone behind this whole process: Richard and Harry, Katie Day, Ben Evans, and Nicola Carson—our manager in the US. Thanks for being there for us and helping us out. Can’t thank you guys enough.
Thanks to everyone at SYCO music, especially our A&R consultants and marketing managers.
Thanks to all the people who have taken in this year with us. It’s been wild and we are so grateful for everything that has happened to us and the people we have met.
I’d also like to say thank you to the amazing producers and songwriters we have worked with: the one and only Savan Kotecha, who has stuck with us since the show and wrote some of our tracks with us, Steve Robson, Wayne Hector, Steve Mac, Jamie Scott, all the guys at Metrophonic, Rami Yacoub, RedOne and all the guys, Andrew Frampton, Kojak (“Everyday I’m Stackin’ It, Stack It Real Hard”), Claude Kelly, Andreas and Josef at Quiz Larossi, Matt Squire and Toby Gad. It was an amazing experience working with all these guys.