Direction Infection? Say Whaa?

My little sister has been tormenting me with her addiction with One Direction's music - or "Direction infection" as she likes to call it. Her room is plastered with posters of this boy band. She is particularly obsessed with Niall Horan (the blonde kid.) She talks about the band with such conviction and dedication. It reminds me of my younger self when I, like my little sister used to plaster my bedroom walls with posters of Backstreet Boys. I was obsessed, quite possibly as much as my sister is now. I actually wonder if my mom and grandma thought that I was an obnoxious teenager, the same way that I see my little sister as a little extra crazy.

I had been hesitant to listen to One Direction's music, mostly because I don't listen to as much pop music as I did when I was a teenager and also because it makes me feel like such a cradle robber (a puma as I’d like to refer myself as) to admit that I think those young (very young) guys are such cuties. Have you seven Zayn Malik? My inner teenager is all about Zayn!

The more my sister obsesses over this boy band, the more my curiosity has grown to listen to their music and find out what they are all about. The five member boy band formed during the 6th season of UK's X-Factor (same as when Cher Lloyd was discovered.) The guys auditioned as solo acts but, pop musical genius Simon Cowell saw the potential in having them become a group, and the rest is history! Liam, Zayn, Harry, Niall and Louis have taken the UK by storm and most recently the United States and other parts of the world. One Direction has made boy bands become relevant again. All of a sudden, teenagers everywhere have found their new crushes, just like those teenage girls who idolized The Beatles, those who used to sing along NKOTB "step by step, ohhh baby....." Or, how about Latin girls who drooled over Menudo and wanted to marry Ricky Martin, and, those like myself who used to record BSB and N Sync’s videos on VHS, only to play them back once I was done with my homework, and I used to sing long to each song and dreamt of marrying Nick Carter and Justin Timberlake.

 

Let's be real, we all have that obscure side that secretly likes pop music from boy bands, and we secretly still crush on those cuties (most who are now engaged, married or maybe not as cute as we remember them.) I personally still have a thing for Justin Timberlake, my love affair with Nick Carter ended, and until very recently (till he married ugly Vanessa Minillo) I used to crush on Nick Lachey.

 

Anyway, back to One Direction, thanks to my sister and her never-ending sing along; I finally listened to their entire album. I have to say, the hidden skinny teenager with braces in me totally loved the CD.  And, while I am not going to buy a ticket to their concert anytime soon, I will be listening to their music occasionally and even sing along to it while people at the office stare at me with a confused gaze.




Photo Credits: One Direction's website