The first wave: Already a double-platinum sensation in the U.K., One Direction will release its debut album, Up All Night, in the USA on Tuesday. The group, which consists of five members ages 18 to 20, also will make its American television debut Monday on the Today show, performing single What Makes You Beautiful.  Max 'Factor': Each of One Direction's members — Niall Horan, 18; Zayn Malik, 19; Liam Payne, 18; Harry Styles, 18; and Louis Tomlinson, 20 — failed to make the cut in the individual boys category on The X Factor's 2010 season. But the show's producers ended up putting them together and re-entering them as a group. "Everybody was like, basically, we either leave the competition as soloists and have no career at all in music or stay in the competition as a group," says Horan.  They ended up finishing third, then signed with show creator Simon Cowell's Syco Records and released Up All Night in the U.K. in November. "We've only known each other 18 months, maybe a little bit longer, so it's really weird to be in this sort of position," says Payne. "We've only really just become best friends."  Who's who: Horan is the group's "cute little Irish one," according to Styles. Tomlinson sees Payne as "the sensible one," Malik's "very quiet and mysterious" and Styles is "the charming one." And Tomlinson? He's "the funny one," Malik says.  Beautifulmusic:What Makes You Beautiful, with its Louie, Louie-style guitar intro and an impossibly infectious chorus, has only just hit U.S. radio (it's No. 37 on USA TODAY's top 40 airplay chart). It's already putting up big sales numbers, though: One Direction had the highest debut on Billboard's Hot 100 chart of any new U.K. act since the Spice Girls. In just three weeks, What Makes You Beautiful has sold 255,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "It just shows how powerful the Internet is," says Tomlinson. "That's basically what spread the word."  All-star cast of contributors:Up AllNight updates the boy-band template with a touch of carefree singer/songwriter soul, a la Jason Mraz. It features songs from top writer/producers Toby Gad and RedOne, along with contributions from Kelly Clarkson and Graffiti6's Jamie Scott. "It's amazing and flattering to think that those big names put their trust in us that early on and gave us good songs," says Malik.  The band that beat Adele:What Makes You Beautiful managed to get past the Adele juggernaut at this year's Brit Awards, winning best British single. "We won that award due to our amazing fan base," Malik says. "Adele had a massive year. Obviously, we thought she probably was going to win it. So we were just flattered to be at the awards at all."  Back in the USA: One Direction's current visit to the States (its third) has included an opening slot on the just-wrapped Big Time Rush tour. But the group has drawn crowds on its own. About 250 fans greeted members at their Chicago hotel their first night in the country, and a recent appearance in Natick, Mass., drew about 5,000. "To have really only just come to the States and have people coming out like that is really amazing," says Styles.  Upcoming appearances include Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards on March 31 and an episode of iCarly. There's also talk of a U.S. summer tour. "We're just waiting to see what the demand is like," Horan says. "That'd be absolutely incredible."
So far, it's been nothing but up for the group of boys who started on England's 'X Factor.'