One Direction is an English-Irish pop boy band from London. The group consists of Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Harry Styles. After meeting and finishing in third place on The X Factor during the seventh season of the British singing competition in 2010, the band signed to Syco Records, Simon Cowell's label. They have achieved international success with the help of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Their three albums, Up All Night, Take Me Home and Midnight Memories, topped charts around the world, as did their hit singles, including "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Story Of My Life" (Dare to Dream, 4). Louis William Tomlinson, originally known as Louis Troy Austin, was born on December 24, 1991 in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. His parents, Johannah Poulston and Troy Austin, divorced when he was young. After his mother remarried Mark Tomlinson, Louis changed his last name. He has five younger half-sisters and attended Hall Cross School and Hayfield School. Louis appeared as an extra on the British TV show Fat Friends and later attended drama school in Barnsley. He had minor roles in a television film called If I Had You and the BBC's Waterloo Road. Louis worked in various jobs, including in a cinema and as a waiter in the hospitality suites of the Doncaster Rovers football stadium. During his time at Hall Cross, he took part in several musical productions, including the lead role of Danny Zuko in the school's production of Grease, which inspired him to audition for The X Factor. Louis cited British actor Robbie Williams as his biggest idol (Dare to Dream, 21-22) and praised singer Ed Sheeran, calling him "phenomenal" (Maerz, 59). Zayn Javadd Malik was born on January 12, 1993 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. His father, Yaser Malik, is British Pakistani and his mother, Tricia Malik, is of Irish and English descent. He has two younger sisters, Waliyha and Safaa, and an older sister, Doniya. Zayn grew up in East Bowling and attended Lower Fields Primary School before moving on to Tong High School. Due to his mixed heritage, Zayn felt like he didn't fit in at his first two schools.