Part of the magic that sent the guys of One Direction into super-stardom was that they were a boy band unlike any other. No they didn't dance or wear coordinating outfits and they often were just goofing around with each other, whether it be up on stage, during interviews or in tour diary videos. They were genuinely friends though and it might be seven years since Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik were put together as a band on X Factor and the now four-person group is currently on an indefinite hiatus, one thing remains true: they are and always will be the best of friends.

Louis opened up in an interview with Noisey about his time in 1D and how their early days together were his all-time favorite. (We are right there with you, Lou.) It was before they really knew what exactly was ahead for them and together, all five guys really became like brothers, a bond Louis confirmed is indeed real and just as strong today.

"I think during the early days, we just had this pure naïvety. We were being hauled around the world to all these crazy places and it was such a whirlwind," Louis said. "And when I say naïve, it's not like we were naïve to all the awful things, it's just that when you're a bit older, you've seen it and you've been through it, whereas back in the day… especially for someone like Niall who is the most happy-go-lucky Irishman in the world. He's so happy and smiley…But I think it was obvious to everyone that we were always five best mates on the road; it was real nice. And as time went on, we all began to understand each other. There are often misconceptions, but we're all such good mates."

one direction 2011

That Niall shout-out. Can't even handle it. Louis went on to explain how his bandmates showing up to support his performance of his first single with Steve Aoiki, "Just Hold On," a mere few days after his mom Johannah Deakin sadly passed away further proved their bond is unbreakable and it's not something they need to show off in order to prove it's real.

"If you look at the X Factor final, when I performed my song with Steve, all the boys came to support me, and I didn't know until a couple of hours beforehand," Louis explained. "It wasn't one of those stupid celebrity things where it's like, 'lets all get in a picture and put it on Instagram and show everyone that we're best mates' ­ – we didn't even put it online. There are always those little things that people don't hear about."

This is exactly the same sentiment Liam shared when he opened up about the guys all coming together to rally around Louis when he spoke to Dan Wootton for the Bizarre Life podcast.

"We literally all flew the world over to get to that gig and Louis walked in and there was a really nice moment when we all kind of had a little huddle and it for me it was the first time in the five or six years we’ve been together now where we were actually fully best mates. We weren’t even a band that night that’s the first night we were fully like top top top lads. And yeah it was obviously the most sad occasion, it was bittersweet in a sense because it felt so lovely for us all to be there and yes, we are fully in this for the long run but at the same time, what a tragic, tragic, tragic loss," Liam said about that night.

This. Is. All. Too. Much. The boys are literally always on the same page, no matter what. Louis went on to talk about how he had a feeling the band's break was coming, so he decided to let loose and pretty much party and live the rock-star life he never really had before during the band's reign.

"During the last year of One Direction, in particular, I definitely went a little bit… west. I kind of realized we were going on this hiatus and I thought 'I've been very sensible for this whole time' and that's not really me, so for a year or so we definitely had a good 'party stint' and I got it out my system, in a way," Louis said. "There were definitely those days when it felt as if touring was relentless, and if you want to tackle it from a party point of view it can be really fun, but it does make the whole thing even more draining. It's just such a difficult feeling to come off stage and have this amazing buzz and then be like…'so what now?' You can't just sit on the tour bus and chill."

Well, it seems like all that partying took a toll on him too, since having long nights and then having to hit the stage can really drain a person! Louis simply never expected anything like this life in 1D to ever happen to him, since he was just a normal guy who ended up at the right place at the right time. It's a life he doesn't ever think he could've prepared for.

"I had a great upbringing. I had a great childhood. I was very lucky. And my school life… I absolutely loved it. That's what I found hard about the change; it was such a massive jump," Louis said. "It was something I knew that I wanted, but in hindsight… I wouldn't change anything, but you never know what you're getting into. You don't really know one percent of what that means."

It's a good thing he wouldn't go back and change his mind because we can't imagine One Direction without him. For real, it wouldn't even be the same in the slightest and most importantly, Louis wouldn't have these life-long friendships he now has and that would honestly be something the world would greatly miss.

one direction group hug x factor

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