Our Harry turned 18 in 2012, and well, he grew up a little. He had his first very, very public romance with a fellow superstar in Taylor Swift. It was the year he and the rest of One Direction headlined their first tour in the US, in support of Up All Night. They played 25 shows in North America, all while recording their second album, Take Me Home, which was released at the tail end of the year.
This was actually the year that "What Makes You Beautiful" landed in the US, and this is when I can confidently say One Direction hit it big with US fans. Up until 2012, they were only really known in the UK, but they didn't take long to catch on in the States.
Actually, they caught on so quickly that the group was able to sell out a show at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2012, just a few short weeks after bringing their music to the States. One Direction released their first US album in March and tickets for MSG went on sale — and immediately sold out — in April. They played the show in December to a roaring crowd and Harry commemorated with an Instagram photo that he re-created when he came back for his own headlining show in 2018.
The group also made their SNL debut and won a slew of awards in 2012, including their first Brit Award for British single of the year for "What Makes You Beautiful" as well as three MTV VMAs.