One Direction was formed in 2010 during the seventh season of the British television series The X Factor. They auditions as solo artists but Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell noticed the potential of the five boys together and decided to put them together as a group where harry styles came up with the name one direction They came third in the competition and were beaten by Rebecca Ferguson and Matt Cardle but after the show Simon Cowell offered them a recording contract, which started there successful career as a boy band