Not to be dramatic or anything, but the One Direction era was the best time of my life. I know that this may sound a little pathetic coming from a 19, almost 20, year old but One Direction brought so many incredible things into not only my life but the lives of teenage girls around the globe.

One Direction came out of nowhere and was completely blown out of the water. The audience and fans that they were bringing in were not normal for the platform they were on. These boys didn't even have a single original song, they were singing covers on The X Factor for weeks and weeks on end, and yet there were still hundreds and hundreds of fans showing up outside of the building just to catch a glimpse.

As most people know, these five boys started out as solo artists but weren't going to make it very far into the show as exactly that. So, a couple of the judges got together and decided that these five particular boys would work great together as a band. How they knew this would work is a mystery, but I doubt they expected it to work out as well as it did.

Week after week, show after show, these five boys continued on. So many people expected them to win, the talent coming from these boys was just incredible. They fought to the end, to make it as the top three finalists on the show, but walked away in third place which was a shock to most.

As usual, these singing talent shows grant the winner to be signed on to a record deal as well as release at least one album underneath them. One Direction didn't win, but that didn't stop Simon Cowell from anything, and before we knew it their first single What Makes You Beautiful was released.

From here on out, the history of One Direction was a whirlwind. They were on a constant schedule of albums and tours, albums and tours, albums and tours. Their first album Up All Night was released in 2011, a precursor to the tour Up All Night which ran from December 2011 until July of 2012.

This was a normal schedule for them as they released their next three albums Take Me Home, Midnight Memories, and Made In The A.M. before announcing their hiatus.

This band survived so much and had the career of a lifetime, which was very often compared to the time of The Beatles.

Within the six(ish) years that One Direction was a band they released two movies, dedicated an entire day to create a live stream for fans through youtube, they sold out Madison Square Garden in seconds on multiple occasions (some of those nights being back to back), they released four albums, sold out four world tours, lost a band member, continued from their, and so. much. more

Both One Direction and their fans received constant criticism on so many accounts for so many things, but they still managed to create a sense of community and helped build and connect so many friendships around the globe. Just because of this one band.

I have so much to thank One Direction for, but the most important thing would be some amazing friends that I have bonded with through the similarities we had with this band.

One Direction taught me to not be afraid, how to bring out the best in me, how to express my creativity in my own way, and so much more. I was able to connect with people that normally I probably would've never know existed. I got to experience my first adrenaline rush, my first heat exhaustion, and even my first heartbreak.

Although One Direction was never seen to their full potential, I know that there are a lot of us out there that need to say thank you to them. Thank you for introducing us to our best, lifelong friends. Thank you for introducing us to new bands, new social platforms, and teaching us what it was really like to bring out our inner crack head.

Let's all be honest here. The legacy of One Direction will always be long-lived as will the friendships, the memories, the group chats, the tears, the screams, the stories and so much more. They will continue to release solo music, go on tours, and sing covers of their own songs because even they know and understand everything that that band was and always will be. So, once again, thank you so much One Direction, for all that you have given me, and all that you continue to give me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E