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

I think it’s nice to give back, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with buying my mum a present if I want to, but I try to buy people things that they need rather than random big gifts. You can end up looking like a massive show-off if you turn up with loads of gifts for Christmas or someone’s birthday, because it looks like you’re trying to trump everyone else’s presents. Plus, if you give things to people all of the time they stop meaning anything. I prefer giving thoughtful presents. Anyone can buy something expensive if they have the money, but it’s harder to buy something that means something to someone.

ABOVE: On a shoot for AERA magazine. 18 January 2013

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 dressing room before a gig sometimes. It’s nice to have a touch of home.

I think the thing that people like about our shows is that you get something different all the time. We always mess around onstage and there are always little jokes going on, which I think is nice for the crowd.

The last night of the tour is the one that I’d want to go and see, because pretty much everything falls apart. The crew come on and throw things at us when we’re performing, and you can do everything you’ve always wanted to do onstage because it’s the last one. It’s the fun show, and I think if you came and saw it you’d have a laugh. It’s always a longer show too, because we’re doing so much stupid stuff. I’d love to watch one back. It’s probably awful, but great fun!

The world tour is huge for us, so we took our time making sure every single detail of it was right. We came up with ideas for the lighting, the screens and all the things that previously we hadn’t had time to get so involved in. It’s our show at the end of the day, so we want it to reflect who we are. Our ultimate goal was to make a show that we would enjoy watching ourselves.

The tour is going to many different countries and we want everyone to come and have an incredible time with us. We feel so proud of it. I’m loving every second of it. If I could go back and start it all again tomorrow, I would.

We were both nervous and excited about making the 1D movie. There’s so much that we do that people don’t see, so it’s nice to let fans get an insight into who we really are. We put everything out there – nothing was hidden.

We do mess around a lot, so it was great fun making it, and you definitely get to see the ridiculous side of us. Well, the even more ridiculous side.

It was a really natural process and nothing was set up – a lot of the time we forgot the cameras were there. It wasn’t like we decided to go water-skiing or anything just to make the film more interesting. If the cameras missed something, the producers didn’t ask us to set it up again so they could film it, because that wouldn’t have worked. We were just us.

While we’ve been on the road we’ve also been working on the third album, and it’s been really exciting because we’re writing a lot more. We’re experimenting more with this album, which has been great. We want to make the third album our best yet.

We by no means feel like we’re at the top of our game. We always want to push further and be the best we can be. There’s still so much more we can do. I’m excited to see what happens. I want to carry on working hard, playing hard and being kind!

Our lives have changed so much since we all auditioned for The X Factor. I guess the biggest change is how busy we are. I can’t believe I’m in a job where we work such silly hours, especially when I look back at how lazy I used to be!

We do work mad hours sometimes, but we just get on with it and don’t think about it, because we’re so grateful to be in this position. It’s so rewarding and we really enjoy our work. I do get tired from time to time, and sometimes when I wake up in the morning I can think of nothing nicer than staying in bed all day… But once I’m showered and dressed and with the boys I’m raring to go.

I’m totally used to having jet lag now, and sometimes I even quite enjoy it. If my body clock is a bit off and I wake up in the night, I love the feeling of looking at my watch and knowing that I’ve got loads more time left to sleep.

Having four other crazy lads around is the best way to stay upbeat when you’re tired. We don’t take anything too seriously and we don’t let anything go to our heads. I never think, ‘Look at us, we’re on another TV show,’ I just think, ‘This is brilliant fun, I’m having such a laugh with my mates.’

It’s so hard to sit down and try to choose my favourite 1D moments to date, because there have been a ridiculous number of them. If I had to pinpoint some I would say the EMAs, playing at Madison Square Garden and being on the tour bus with the other lads, any time at all, really.

Being onstage at Madison Square Garden was amazing. We got to have a B-stage and pop up out of the floor and all sorts of stuff. It was so much fun and it’s such a prestigious place, so looking out and knowing that everyone was there for us was quite something.

I also love it when we get a couple of weeks off, because it gives us a chance to sit back, look at the craziness of everything that’s happened and really reflect on it.

It’s very strange to look back to the early days and see how far we’ve come.

Liam and the Barlow!, 22 August 2012

I still find it incredible when I think about all of the places we’ve been able to visit so far. Australia is one of my favourite places in the world. I loved it and I loved learning to surf with Louis. We also went out on a boat and sailed all around Sydney Harbour and saw the Opera House.

Japan is great too, and I’ve got top memories of San Diego because I caught a tiger shark by accident! We’d been fishing all day and I’d only caught really small fish, so I decided I was a bit rubbish at it. Then I left my rod in for ages and suddenly I saw a tug… When I pulled my line in there was a three-foot baby tiger shark hanging off of it! It was only the second time I’d been fishing and by the end I felt like a pro.

I love trying new things in the different places we visit. Louis has always been very outgoing, but I wasn’t like that at all. Now he convinces me to experiment and it’s made me more confident. It’s brilliant, because it means that I get to learn more about the cultures of the places we go to.

Bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand, so when we were there we really wanted to do it, but we couldn’t for insurance reasons. We found something else called a Sky Fall that was considered safer, so we gave that a go instead. It was still scary, though, and not great for anyone who doesn’t like heights as you literally fly through the air. I like stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying new foods and activities. It’s a whole new world.

Going to Africa for Comic Relief was absolutely one of the best things I’ve ever done. It was a life-changing trip. There hasn’t been one day since we’ve been that I haven’t thought about it; it’s often the last thing I think about before I go to sleep at night.