One Directioners from all over the world trended #7YearsOfOneDirection on Twitter to show their love and gratitude to the London-based boy group in the wake of their hiatus. The band initially debuted as a quintet group with members Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik until the latter announced his intent to pursue a solo career in 2015.

Breakthrough after reality show

The members were discovered in reality competition, "The X Factor," where they auditioned as solo acts in 2010. Although they failed to make it to the "Boys" category of the contest, the five of them were formed as a band and managed to pass the "Groups" category.

For their first performance as a boy group, the One Direction members sang their own rendition of "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia. They were even given a standing ovation from the judges and audience after their number. "I love the harmony, I love the song choice, and we've got five new pop stars," Louis Walsh commented.

The quintet band fell short and place third in the competition. Their first original song, "Forever Young," was also leaked on the Internet shortly after the finals. One Direction later closed a deal with Simon Cowell's Syco Records where they paved their success.

Fans celebrate One Direction's debut anniversary

The pop boy group has released a total of five albums in seven years, namely, "Up All Night" (2011), "Take Me Home" (2012), "Midnight Memories" (2013), "Four" (2014) and "Made in the A.M." (2015).

One Direction has also held a series of concert tours where they performed for their fans in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Zayn Malik's sudden announcement of his departure from the group has raised speculation on One Direction's promotional activities. The band later confirmed that they intended to take a break in 2016. The remaining members of the group had their last performance on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on December 31, 2015.

Since then, the five original members have been working on their solo careers. Their fans, however, did not forget to celebrate their seventh anniversary in the music scene. Some of them shared throwback pictures of the boys, while others called out One Direction to have a reunion.

When asked about their potential reunion, Niall Horan told Billboard that he would like it to happen sooner rather than later. "When it will be, I don’t know. I ­prefer not to do it after I’m 40. I’d prefer the next few years," he told the publication.
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