One Direction Honor Band’s 10th Anniversary With Sweet Tributes: I’m ‘Forever Thankful’

Credit: Vince Flores/startraksphoto.com

One Direction Honor Band’s 10th Anniversary With Sweet Tributes: I’m ‘Forever Thankful’

Best decade ever! One Direction has reached its milestone 10th anniversary — and its members are reminiscing over the glory days alongside fans. Harry Styles, for his part, admitted that he was “struggling to put into words” exactly how “grateful” he was for the opportunity to be a part of the megapopular group. That being said, he reflected on where the band has taken him and showed his appreciation to 1D’s dedicated fan base. “I’ve seen things and places that I’d only ever dreamt of when I was growing up,” the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner, 26,  wrote via Instagram on Thursday, July 23. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the most incredible people, and gained friendships that I know I will treasure for the rest of my life. None of this would be possible without the support you’ve given along the way.” Niall Horan said that he never anticipated One Direction “would go on to do what we did” during their time together. “It’s such a major part of our lives and always will be,” the 26-year-old Irish star expressed via Instagram. [jwplayer hYgjlgX7-l3ahXupL] Louis Tomlinson gave a special “thanks for everything” to his bandmates and their fans, while Liam Payne showed his appreciation to those who have “supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me.” Styles, Horan, Payne, 26, and Tomlinson, 28, originally auditioned as solo acts on The X Factor U.K. in 2010. After failing to make it through the category separately, Simon Cowell placed them into a quintet with Zayn Malik. Though the five-piece ended the competition in third place, they found massive success upon leaving the reality series. One Direction put out four albums — Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013) and Four (2014) — before Malik, 27, announced his departure in March 2015. Prior to splitting in January 2016, the remaining four members would release a fifth and final album together in 2015 titled Made in the A.M. From there, all members of 1D went on to pursue successful solo careers. Months ahead of the group’s milestone commemoration, Payne revealed in April that the boys had been in contact with each other. “We’ve got a 10-year anniversary coming up, so we’ve all been speaking together a lot over the last few weeks, which has been really nice,” Payne told The Sun at the time. “To hear a lot of people’s voices and seeing old content and different things that we haven’t seen for a long time or never seen before, it’s very interesting. At the moment, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say.” Scroll down to see how One Direction paid tribute to the band’s legacy on its 10th anniversary. [podcast_block]

Credit: Vince Flores/startraksphoto.com

One Direction Honor Band’s 10th Anniversary With Sweet Tributes: I’m ‘Forever Thankful’

Best decade ever! One Direction has reached its milestone 10th anniversary — and its members are reminiscing over the glory days alongside fans. Harry Styles, for his part, admitted that he was “struggling to put into words” exactly how “grateful” he was for the opportunity to be a part of the megapopular group. That being said, he reflected on where the band has taken him and showed his appreciation to 1D’s dedicated fan base. “I’ve seen things and places that I’d only ever dreamt of when I was growing up,” the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner, 26,  wrote via Instagram on Thursday, July 23. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the most incredible people, and gained friendships that I know I will treasure for the rest of my life. None of this would be possible without the support you’ve given along the way.” Niall Horan said that he never anticipated One Direction “would go on to do what we did” during their time together. “It’s such a major part of our lives and always will be,” the 26-year-old Irish star expressed via Instagram. [jwplayer hYgjlgX7-l3ahXupL] Louis Tomlinson gave a special “thanks for everything” to his bandmates and their fans, while Liam Payne showed his appreciation to those who have “supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me.” Styles, Horan, Payne, 26, and Tomlinson, 28, originally auditioned as solo acts on The X Factor U.K. in 2010. After failing to make it through the category separately, Simon Cowell placed them into a quintet with Zayn Malik. Though the five-piece ended the competition in third place, they found massive success upon leaving the reality series. One Direction put out four albums — Up All Night (2011), Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013) and Four (2014) — before Malik, 27, announced his departure in March 2015. Prior to splitting in January 2016, the remaining four members would release a fifth and final album together in 2015 titled Made in the A.M. From there, all members of 1D went on to pursue successful solo careers. Months ahead of the group’s milestone commemoration, Payne revealed in April that the boys had been in contact with each other. “We’ve got a 10-year anniversary coming up, so we’ve all been speaking together a lot over the last few weeks, which has been really nice,” Payne told The Sun at the time. “To hear a lot of people’s voices and seeing old content and different things that we haven’t seen for a long time or never seen before, it’s very interesting. At the moment, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say.” Scroll down to see how One Direction paid tribute to the band’s legacy on its 10th anniversary. [podcast_block]

Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock

Harry Styles

“I’ve been struggling to put into words how grateful I am for everything that’s happened over the last ten years,” Styles wrote via Instagram. “I’ve seen things and places that I’d only ever dreamt of when I was growing up. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with some of the most incredible people, and gained friendships that I know I will treasure for the rest of my life. None of this would be possible without the support you’ve given along the way. And for that, I will be forever thankful.”

The “Lights Up” singer added, “I just can’t believe it’s been ten years. Thank you to our crew, our team, and everyone else who helped us along the way. To all the fans, I love you, and I thank you with all my heart. You did it all, and you changed everything. And finally.. to the boys, I love you so much, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything we achieved together. Here’s to ten.”

Credit: Alex Pesantes/imageSPACE/Shutterstock

Niall Horan

In addition to sharing a photo to Instagram Stories that featured all five members, Horan reflected on the band’s journey with a touching tribute post. “When I met these four gents there was no way I thought we would go on to do what we did. So many unbelievable memories we shared together,” he wrote.

“We felt the adoration of millions from around the planet on a daily basis and it was mind blowing. It’s such a major part of our lives and always will be,” the “Nice to Meet Ya” crooner added. “Cheers to US today boys and thank you to all you beautiful people who have supported us over the last 10 years. @liampayne @harrystyles @zayn @louist91 ❤️ #10yearsofonedirection.”

Credit: Courtesy Liam Payne/Instagram; James Shaw/Shutterstock (inset)

Liam Payne

The “Strip That Down” artist reflected on “what a journey” it has been by sharing a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father in June 2010 that read: “I’m in a boyband.”

“I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my Dad ten years ago at this exact time the band was formed,” he wrote via Instagram. “Thanks to everyone that’s supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me #10YearsOfOneDirection.”

Payne also shared the tributes that Styles, Horan and Tomlinson uploaded to his Instagram Stories.

Credit: Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock

Louis Tomlinson

To honor the momentous occasion, the “Back to You” singer shared the band’s first photo together. “The memories we’ve shared together have been incredible,” he wrote. “Can't believe it’s been 10 years already. I look back incredibly proud. Thanks for everything lads and love to you the fans as always x.”