This Week in Music 3/11-3/17: Who Are One Direction and Where Did They Come from?

Could this be a new British Invasion? It certainly has the makings of such an event as UK boy band One Direction continues to become the only trending topic for teen and tween girls. 1D's meteoric rise certainly should be getting attention considering the band's performance at "The Today Show" had an estimated 10,000 people screaming for this Fab Five. And it was on a Monday morning.

Looking at this performance on TV, one couldn't even grasp how big the crowd was until the camera panned back. The mob went back behind the stage and across the street from NBC Studios. The cramped space in the plaza itself made it even more flabbergasting. If fans wanted a good spot, they needed to start camping in line that Friday. Look at the videos here:





The band's American debut for its album, Up All Night, was last Tuesday, and it is speculated it will hit No.1 on the Billboard Top 200, which is in the process of being compiled right now. But how did a band like this create the same pandemonium seemingly out of thin air as the legendary Beatles did in their 1964 "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance?

One Direction came together on 2010s British version of "The X Factor." Singers Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Harry Styles were all competing in as soloists. However, music guru Simon Cowell was convinced the guys would have a better shot making it as a group. Although they came in third, they have been wreaking havoc across the pond ever since.

But the question is how did this group become so popular without even stepping foot in the US? Social media, of course. Sites like Twitter and YouTube helped spread the word about the band, but coupling it with Tumblr seems to have really made this group famous with its intuitive application of sharing visual media.

So now what? Well, a show for Nickelodeon is already in the works, as well as a 40-arena tour next spring and a musical-guest spot on Saturday Night Live that will happen much sooner than that, April 7. But like other aspects of this new sensation, much remains a mystery. However, I would suggest buying stock in earplugs — everyone is going to need something to muffle the screams.