Irish band One Direction performs on NBC's “Today” show in New York. — Reuters LONDON — British teen band One Direction became the first UK group to enter the U.S. Billboard 200 chart at number one on Tuesday. The band sold more than 176,000 copies of their debut album “Up All Night”, making chart history in the United States, with the record soaring straight to the top of the digital charts within minutes of its official release on March 13th, a statement from the band's label Syco said on Wednesday. The boy band came together on Britain's The X Factor TV talent contest after judge Simon Cowell suggested they sing together as a band rather than on their own. Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson joined forces and became hot competition during the 2010 edition of The X Factor, finishing in third place. “When we got put together as a group, we couldn't imagine ourselves coming to America, let alone releasing our album here, so for us to be sitting at the top of the U.S. album charts is unbelievable,” Horan said in a statement. Over 10,000 fans turned up for the band's first live TV performance on the NBC's Today Show in New York. The band have also racked up more than 204 million views on video website YouTube, have 12 million followers on Twitter and 3.6 million fans on Facebook. “I couldn't be happier for One Direction, it is an incredible achievement,” Cowell said.
