Meet the "Other" One Direction
Back in April, we told you about a L.A. band named One Direction who were, um, less than pleased that UK boy band One Direction had the same name. But the two bands hashed it out peacefully and came to a friendly agreement.
Yeah, no. There's totally a lawsuit happening, with the two bands currently locked in a legal battle over their name. We've heard a lot about the UK version, but we tracked down the L.A. band to get their side of the story.
“We didn’t start any of this," said frontman Sean O'Leary in the above video. "And to have a band that has more power, more popularity, to come in here and absolutely step on us is not cool. They sent their lawyers to us and we’re simply standing up for what’s right.”
O'Leary claims he got the name from his dad telling him, “You’re already at the bottom, so there’s only one direction to go.” Apparently now, that one direction is towards the courthouse, which no band wants to go to. The group noted that they are often confused with the UK band—The Today Show played their song when introducing the UK band—and have received hate mail from fans of the other band. That has to suck.
While they haven't heard from the UK members, the US One Direction hopes that the situation is resolved quickly and amicably. "We love their music," said O'Leary. "We think they’re great guys. We want both bands to prosper. That is our ideal resolution. But we can’t be stepped on. We’ve all put our hearts and souls into this just as much as they have and we would like to be treated on a level that they are. It’s unfortunate but is something that we will stand next to because this is our name.”
Check out the whole profile in the video above and let us know what you think? Is there room in this world for two One Directions? (Maybe) Is the hate mail a little harsh? (Yes) Sound off in the comments below.
48m
21m
2m
2m
2m
2m
2m
3m
2m
3m
1m
1m
1m
1m
1m
21m
1m
21m
1m
45m
44m
22m
22m
22m
21m
12m
1m
1m
1m
51s
1m
1m
1m
2m
1m
2m
1m
1m
1m
56s
1m
9m
1m
1m
46m
1m
1m
10m
20m
54s
9m
20m
44m
1h 13m
21m
43m
44m
44m
20m
3m
1h 45m
1h 2m
2m
41m
20m
21m
23m
46m
1m
1m
2m
23m
1h 34m
45m
44m
21m
20m
1h 20m
1h 27m
1h 21m
30s
1m
2m
20m
22m
22m
9m
20m
1h 15m
21m
20m
57s
59s
44m
1h 3m
22m