where did one direction start

One Direction started in London, England, in 2010. The group was formed on the British television singing competition The X Factor, where the five members (Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik) initially auditioned as solo contestants but were then grouped together on the advice of the judges, including Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell. They qualified in the "Groups" category and competed as one band, eventually reaching third place on the show. Despite not winning, they quickly gained a recording contract and rose to fame shortly after.