A concert completely crammed with fans is taken over by the electricity of excited energy as a group of young men get on stage. The crowd collectively screams and cries at the sight of the five brightly-lit faces. They all sing along with the lyrics of the songs coursing through the area. Many try to catch the band members’ attention by waving their homemade signs frantically in the air. This scene depicts that of a live performance by — you guessed it — One Direction.

For those who are not familiar with the group, One Direction is a British-Irish boy band consisting of five fairly attractive guys, all between the ages of 18 and 21. The group has recently gained the attention of the American public eye and has grown into a huge pop sensation. After auditioning separately for a TV show in the UK called The X Factor in 2010, singers Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson had to choose between being eliminated from the show as solo artists or advancing in the competition as a group. Having never met before the program, the boys decided to seize the opportunity and continue on together. Despite placing third in the actual competition, they decided to stay together as a band and were given a record deal by their mentor on the show, Simon Cowell (onedirection.net).

Since the end of their X Factor days, One Direction has become a wild success all over the world. They released their first single in the UK, “What Makes You Beautiful,” in August of 2011, which broke a Sony Music record for the most pre-sales ever and went on to eventually top the charts as well. The band also received a Brit Award for the aforementioned song in February of this year. Their debut album Up All Night was released in the US this past March and made One Direction the first band from the UK to ever reach the number one spot on the US Billboard 200 Album Chart (a feat which was achieved within minutes of release). The band announced their North American tour in the same month, which includes a stop in our very own San Diego, California on June 8 (onedirectionmusic.com).

One Direction has not gone unnoticed on UC High’s campus. Junior Sarah Em is not particularly fond of the band.  “I’ve known about One Direction for maybe a year or so, except I’ve never fully listened to any of their songs because I can’t stand their music,” she said.  Though Em did admit she thinks band member Zayn Malik is not bad to look at, she believes that the majority of the band’s fan base is “absolutely f-ing crazy.”

On the other hand, Junior Darian Hoskins enjoys One Direction’s music. “[One Direction] actually has talent and can sing their set of songs without an overwhelming amount of auto tune, unlike many pop acts today,” Hoskins said.  He added that he thinks people would be surprised by the maturity of their album Up All Night, and he likes them because they are unique and take the time to appreciate their fan base.

Sophomore and “Directioner” Danielle Hendricks has tickets to the band’s upcoming San Diego concert in the Viejas Arena.  According to Hendricks, who has been a fan since August, everything about One Direction is perfect — from their song lyrics to their looks.  Her reaction to their album is not surprising:  “I had the songs memorized before [Up All Night] hit iTunes. And when it did hit iTunes, I bought it that night.”

Though some are immune to the “One Direction Infection,” the band’s high achievements in the music industry within the past year are undeniable.  If you have not yet been infected, you might want to take the necessary precautions.  Or you may want to fall in love with the hunky boy band.