(From left )Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan

Like Take That in the early 1990s, British boy band One Direction have already ticked the right boxes –– they have topped the UK and US charts, tabloids cover all their moves, Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock is working on a 3D doc on them, and girls –– from Lake District to Lake Town –– are throwing themselves at life-size posters of 1D.

Well, many of you spin their albums Up All Night and Take Me Home (both from Sony Music) every night, some of you worship them and some of you daydream about the boys… now hear it from Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne in an email chat with t2...

Tell us about the journey from Up All Night (2011) to Take Me Home (2012).

Chorus: It’s been quite good… Well, it’s almost the same kind of stuff but now we are more aware of how we sound. We had a lot of time to focus and this gets reflected on the album.

Zayn: The big difference is that on the new album we are involved in the songwriting process… and have actually written five of the songs.

And there are also two songs that Ed Sheeran has penned, besides a collaboration with McFly’s Tom Fletcher…

Chorus: It’s always nice to work with Ed. He was there with us on our first album and it turned out really well and we worked with him again on this album. He has some crazy tunes on the album… obviously he is very talented, so it’s an amazing experience to have him in the studio. Tom is also a very brilliant artiste and we enjoyed working with him. He has this massive talent and experience about songwriting and performing. Overall, it was fun to work with everyone who has contributed to the album.

Taking the writing/composing question further, is there a special place you visit while writing or do you delve into experiences?

Chorus: We all sit together to compose a song and in the initial phase there was a lot of argument and little spats over content. At the end, we all worked in sync and the output is something that the audience is enjoying… the songs mirror our versatility.

What’s that one thing each of you love about the other group members?

Chorus: We all admire Harry’s dimples, curls and his appeal among women. Liam has an amazing physique (six-pack abs) and is sensible. Zayn and Louis are known for their mischief. Niall has a carefree attitude and… he can speak a bit of Spanish!

Artistes who have influenced your sound…

Harry: Coldplay.

Zayn: Michael Jackson.

Niall: Michael Buble.

Louis: Boyce Avenue.

Liam: Justin Timberlake.

Chorus: But combined, our all-time favourite remains Take That. Then there is The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. We think people become happy when they listen to inspiring songs or happy music.

Being Brit, everyone wonders what you think of The Beatles. Have the Fab Four influenced your music?

Chorus: They were amazing and have a huge influence on our lives. Our parents used to hear them when we were kids and that sort of made us fond of them.

What do you think of Simon Cowell, the man who created 1D?

Chorus: If it weren’t for Simon we would probably be living a miserable, lowly life. Before he brought us together as a band, we didn’t even know one another. In fact, we were solo performers. He helped us grow as a band and made us realise that we are stronger as a group than individuals. He is an amazing fella who works hard to make talented people known to the world.

Rumours… what are some of the most outrageous ones you have heard?

Liam: Being a boy band there are always rumours about someone leaving the group.

Louis: Also, we have heard of some of us being gay, which was quite shocking. Then there was a rogue squirrel attack on Niall. There are a lot of rumours, which are weird and absurd, but one has to deal with them.

Okay, are you in the mood to talk about your first crushes?

Chorus: We think it was during school… but don’t quite remember who they were!

Liam: I remember that my first Valentine was Charlene.

So, why do girls bring carrots to your concerts?

Chorus: Louis likes carrots and girls who eat them… So, we guess they are all his fans and show their love for carrots to him! It also is a sign that we use for standing up against bullies.

Your impressions of the American music scene…

Chorus: It’s so busy out there that you don’t have time to rest. But at the same time, it is very popular and listeners across the world appreciate it. There are some amazing American bands that we love... like The Fray and ’N Sync.

Finally, history has showed boy bands to be fragile… short-lived. Is that on your mind?

Chorus: Boy bands have always created sparks. They would always continue to do so. We don’t think that this boy band is fragile. We are really close mates and have fun working with one another. If we have a day off and we are at home, we keep texting each other.

Psst… did you hear?

Louis Tomlinson found out from the Internet that he and Harry Styles are “secretly gay” and the “couple” are known as Larry Stylinson!

After a shoe was thrown at Harry Styles’s crotch during the band’s recent concert in Glasgow, Harry was afraid of his safety in America or at least that’s what the psst-psst crowd had to say.

Last week 1D withdrew its request to fans for pictures of tattoos in their honour. The group wanted the photos for their upcoming 3D movie. Parents were outraged when the group posted the message: “Submit a 90sec YouTube video to 1d3dfan@gmail.com and show us why you should be in the @1D3Dmovie.”

Harry Styles hangs out with philosopher and TV presenter Alain de Botton and Jemima Khan to discuss “Plato, Aristotle, love and beauty”.

what the boys like about the boys

Liam has an amazing physique (six-pack abs) and is sensible.

Niall has a carefree attitude and… he can speak a bit of Spanish!

Harry’s dimples, curls and his appeal among women.

Zayn and Louis are known for their mischief.

Mathures Paul

Is 1D the band of the decade? Tell t2@abp.in