One Direction: Where We Are: Our Band, Our Story. One Direction

Чтение книги онлайн.

      It still hasn’t sunk in that we went to number one in so many countries with both of our albums. When we go and visit all those countries – which we are planning to do – it will sink in much more.

      We found out we were number one in Australia while we were over there doing promo, so we could kind of get it, but when you just see a lot of figures written down on a sheet of paper it doesn’t seem real. It’s tough to picture it. I try to process it when I’m lying in bed at night. I’ll stop and think, ‘I cannot believe we went to number one in the Philippines.’

      Some people say that One Direction is half our look and half our music. I don’t think we’ve ever relied just on our look; our music has to be strong for us to stay in the position we are. The main reason the music has to be great is because of the fans. We are a musical group and we love what we do. We couldn’t sing songs we don’t believe in.

      We’re quite vulnerable to critics, because we were put together on a reality show. I get that some people don’t like that, and that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their likes and dislikes. However, if our music did drop off, it would only be right for people to have a bit of a go at us, because at the end of the day we’re a band.

      If our music wasn’t good, people would think all we do is mess around and look all right. But you need good music to back all of that up. We feel like our music is getting stronger all the time. Some people may not like us, but we do make a really good pop song, and they’d still dance to it at a wedding.

      Of course it’s amazing to get recognition for our music, so winning awards means so much to us. My favourite awards ceremony to date has been the VMAs. I didn’t even expect us to be invited, because it’s such a big deal. So for us to be invited, then asked to perform and then to win three awards was unbelievable.

      The BRITs is always a great night as well. We were so excited to go to our first one in 2012, and when we won the award for British Single we were stunned. Then we performed in 2013 and we absolutely loved it. It was great getting to sing ‘One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)’, because Comic Relief is such an important charity.

      At the moment my house is being renovated and I’m staying between two friends’ houses, so the awards we’ve been given are all over the place. Two are on a friend’s windowsill, some others are in my other friend’s bedroom and one of my other mates has got another one. One of the EMAs has been swiped by my friend’s sister, so I need to try to get that back. The others are in storage, and I’ll be getting them out when I move back home.

      I can still remember the feeling we used to get when we went into the X Factor studios right back at the beginning. When there were fans outside we used to be so excited, and I still get the same feeling now.

      When there are a lot of people outside a venue it shocks me. Sometimes I think people won’t turn up to a TV studio if it’s in the middle of nowhere, but they do and it’s so nice.

      When we did The Today Show in New York we didn’t know what the reaction would be like. It was our first proper show in America and we were nervous. We knew from Twitter and Facebook that we had a bit of a fanbase there, but an amazing number of fans turned up to welcome us, and to see things on that scale was ridiculous. There were so many people there.

      A lot of people try to make it in America, and I think we’ve been incredibly lucky timing-wise, because there hasn’t been a boy band out there for a while. I think it’s a great time for British music in America at the moment generally, with the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran; they’re doing unbelievably well. And it’s down to the fans spreading the word about UK music.

      We’ve known some of the fans for three years, and they still come and make the effort to see us. For us, that’s been one of the nicest parts of the whole thing, because we know their names and we can ask them about their lives. It’s great seeing some of the old faces – and also lots of new faces.

      The fans have been incredible to us. They don’t vary much around the world – they’re universally amazing. Sometimes there’s no time to do much more than have a picture taken with them if things are hectic, but it’s nice when there aren’t many fans in one place, because then you get a chance to sit down and chat to them. I was talking to some fans the other night who are at uni, and it’s crazy to think that if I weren’t in the band I would probably be in the same position as them. Or even at uni with them.

      We love performing and seeing the fans, so touring is probably my favourite thing to do. When it comes to travelling, I think what we all enjoy most is being on the tour bus. You can chill out, have some food and go to sleep when you want to. I try not to do too much. I’ll watch a film and chat to the boys, but it’s nice to have proper downtime to catch up with friends and family.

      We do have a really good laugh if we’re in a stupid mood. I remember once we decided to jokingly attack Paul, our tour manager. I was naked and I thought it would be a really quick fight, but it took forever, so I was stuck in a naked headlock for about ten minutes...

      The crew is like one big tour family, and I think if you didn’t have that community feel you would go crazy. You’re away from your family and friends, so you need that support network of people who are there for you. I can always talk to the boys, but I know I can talk to the crew too. Everyone needs everyone, and we’re all on each other’s side.

      Even though you’re away from home and you’re working long hours when you’re touring, you do get a chance to recharge your batteries a bit. You can have a lie-in and you can get into a good routine. You know that you can go to the gym, have some lunch and then head to the venue at a set time.

      The beds on the tour bus are pretty comfortable, and the American buses are always massive, so you get bigger beds and DVD players in the bunks. I always take a scented candle with me when I travel because it reminds me of home, and I also light them in the СКАЧАТЬ