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Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan may have become famous for being one of the biggest music acts of all time, and while that’s a truth they’ll carry with themselves forever, there’s a lot more to them than being members of One Direction.

Being a fan is defined as ‘a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular person or thing’ while being a music artist is defined as ‘is a musician and/or singer who records and releases music, often professionally, through a record label or independently.’  For some, this connection goes as far as having a few favorite songs by an artist and occasionally seeing them in concert, while  maybe collecting some memorabilia along the way.

What One Direction and the people who admire them have is far deeper than an artist/fan bond.  

If you ask a fan of One Direction what makes Niall, Liam, Louis, and Harry so special; you’d hear everything from their music, their charitable spirits, and the way they make every fan in an arena or stadium feel like the most special person there – it’s incredible.

One thing you’d not just hear, but feel, is the way those who admire One Direction credit the boys for providing them with a sense of belonging, of acceptance, of love, and of home.

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— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) October 21, 2015

This feeling of home didn’t begin in 2015, in fact, it happened just as soon as the boys became overnight superstars.  What changed in 2015 however, was Home being written.  The tune by Liam, Louis, and Jamie Scott gave us all a way to describe what it meant to be a part of history alongside One Direction.

‘When you’re lost, I’ll find the way
I’ll be your light
You’ll never feel like you’re alone
I’ll make this feel like home’

Once Louis made fans aware of the song, by a few tweets on October 21st, it followed suit of the band and became an overnight sensation in itself.  Home took on a special meaning to everyone who heard it, and part of the beauty in that was it’s open interpretation.

To everyone who heard the tune, an underlying message of self-acceptance and belonging existed, for most who heard the song – it was a beautiful tribute to coming out.

‘So many nights I thought it over,
told myself I kind of liked her
but there was something missing in her eyes.

I was stumbling, looking in the dark, with an empty heart.
But you say you feel the same, could we ever be enough?
Baby, we could be enough.

And it’s alright – calling out for somebody to hold tonight.
When you’re lost I’ll find a way, I’ll be your light.
You’ll never feel like you’re alone, I’ll make this feel like home.

So hard that I couldn’t take it
wanna wake up and see your face
and remember how good it was being here last night.

Still high with a little feeling,
I see the smile that starts to creep in,
it was there, I saw it in your eyes.’

For whatever reason you found to relate to Home, one thing you gathered from it was that home does not exist between four walls and a strong structure – home exists in the eyes and in the heart of the people that you love.  Home is not a place, it’s a person, a feeling, a series of memories that make you glad to be alive.

For this, and for many other reasons, Project Home was born to give the song the credit it deserves.  While it wasn’t on Made In The AM – it meant just as much as the tracks that made the album did.  It’s part of the puzzle that chronicles the journey One Direction and their teammates (fans) have been on thus far, the one that will continue after their hiatus is through.

So thank you, Niall, Harry, Louis, and Liam.  Thank you from the 14-year-old who feels like they just don’t fit in, the 16-year-old who finds comfort in music rather than their peers.  From the 21 year old who enjoys happiness – regardless of where it comes from, the 30-year-old who never felt confident before hearing the lyrics of One Direction songs.  From the girl who realized she was worth more because Harry Styles told her so.  From the guy who was unafraid to be himself because he saw Liam Payne live his life so freely.  From the girl who believes in herself because Louis Tomlinson told her she was worth it.  From the guy who supports his friends and family through everything, just like he’s seen Niall Horan do.  From the friends who found their missing pieces because of One Direction songs.  From the millions of hearts all across the globe who felt love for the first time because they experienced the magic of the One Direction fan base.

Thank you for Home, the song and the feeling.  Thank you for making stadiums and arenas all over the world hold pieces of our hearts forever.  Thank you for writing songs and performing them so beautifully that we find our own stories within them.  Thank you for continuing to follow your dreams even when the world gave you every reason not to.  Thank you for standing up against hate and rumors and saying that this journey with us is worth the struggle.  Thank you for saying – that for now – you need time away to focus on yourselves so that later you can come back and take on the world again.

We’ll be right beside you.  Teammates, remember?

Tweet us at @CelebMix and @CelebMix1D and let us know how you’re participating in Project Home week!

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