A whole decade of One Direction!
Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of the boy bands formation and four of the five original members are celebrating the occurrence, thanking fans and sharing the love on social media.
Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson all posted on social media while Zayn Malik — who infamously left the band in March 2015 to embark on a solo career — has remained silent as of Thursday afternoon.
The band first formed on the British television singing competition The X Factor, where they placed in third before they later signed with Simon Cowell's record label, where they went on to achieve mass fame and enormous global success.
"I've been struggling to put into words how grateful I am for everything that's happened over the last 10 years," Styles, 26, began an Instagram post. "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."
He added: "None of this would be possible without the support you've given along the way. And for that, I will be forever thankful. 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 10. H."
Payne, 26, posted to Twitter and shared an adorable behind the scenes moment from the band's formation alongside a black and white shot of the group.
"What a journey… I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my Dad 10 years ago at this exact time the band was formed," he wrote. "Thanks to everyone that's supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me," before he used the hashtag, #10YearsOfOneDirection.
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Horan, 26, also reminisced on social media, writing in an Instagram 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. We felt the adoration of millions from around the planet on a daily basis and it was mind-blowing."
He added, "It's such a major part of our lives and always will be. 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"
In a series of tweets, Tomlinson, 28, wrote about his time with the band and his emotions looking back 10 years later.
"Feeling pretty emotional today. 10 years!! Spent the morning watching old interviews and performances," he began. "Just wanted to send a massive thank you to ALL of my band mates. What we did together was incredible."
"Too many incredible memories to mention but not a day goes by that I don't think about how amazing it was. @NiallOfficial @Harry_Styles @LiamPayne @zaynmalik. So proud of you all individually."
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Tomlinson also thanked the group's hardcore fans in a post, writing, "And to the fans. The people who gave us all these amazing opportunities. You are incredible, your unmatched level of [loyalty] is something that makes me really really proud."
"Miss it every day!" he wrote in another tweet.
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Along with the group's social media posts, a brand-new One Direction anniversary celebration video has just been released.
The video highlights many moments of the band's career and includes clips from music videos and live performances as well as candid behind the scenes video content.
One Direction to Mark 10-Year Anniversary with 'Immersive and Exciting Interactive Fan Experience'
Earlier Thursday, a special "10 Years of One Direction" website launched, marking an immersive and interactive fan experience for the group's loyal legion of fans — known as Directioners.
The website "takes the form of a timeline through their five album eras, charting the history of the group, from The X Factor right up to the start of their hiatus" and also "hosts an archive of music videos, images, TV performances, behind the scenes and rarely-seen content, all in one place," according to a press release.
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