For the members of One Direction, the story of my life could've gone a whole lot differently.
On July 23, to celebrate the beloved boyband's 12th anniversary, Fremantle Media released a never-before-seen video of the group filmed during season seven of The X Factor U.K. in 2010. The clip shows judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh forming One Direction after testing out different member combinations.
As the trio peer over a table covered in photos of potential soloists, Nicole suggests that they create "an imaginary boy group instead of just saying, ‘no.'" She then takes the photo of Niall Horan from Louis and places him in a separate pile.
When Harry Styles' photo appears next, the judges universally agree that he should also be in the group. "Yes," Nicole continues, before tapping Niall's photo. "Put him with him."
With the addition of Louis Tomlinson, Nicole starts to get excited as the band begins to take shape. "Yes! They're the cutest boyband ever!" She cheers. "I love it. The little girls are gonna love them."
"They're just too talented to get rid of and they've got just the right look and the right charisma on stage. I think they'll be really great in a boyband together," Nicole continued. "They're like little stars, so you can't get rid of little stars, you know? So you put them all together."
Louis can be heard tutting when they discover Liam Payne's photograph in the pile. "This one right here," Nicole agrees, placing him with the other members.
Simon then notes that Liam was "the standout audition," referencing his powerful rendition of "Cry Me A River." He points to another group, adding, "You don't think he should be over there?"
"I don't think so," Nicole disagrees. "I think that he would definitely shine. He could maybe actually be the leader."
However, Simon's still not sure, sharing that he believes Liam "thinks he's better than anyone else" amongst the other soloists.
But Louis explains that might not be a bad thing. "No, he does, Simon, he has the confidence," he answers. "But he's good. He's consistent."
After finding Zayn Malik, they quickly add him to the lineup and it's a done deal. "Now that is a good idea, oh my god," Simon shares. "That is the category I want, it's them." Louis pipes in, adding, "As long as they gel!"
And gel they did. The group, who ended up finishing in third place on the TV series, went on to release five albums and the 2013 film This Is Us. After announcing a hiatus in 2015 following Zayn's departure from the band, each of the members have gone on to find their own success and release solo material in recent years.