It has been over 12 years since the hit boyband One Direction was formed and introduced to the world as a 5-membered group after winning third place at "The X Factor" in 2010.
A lot of people assumed that they were formed by record executive and television personality Simon Cowell, old footage from "The X Factor" released for the group's 12th anniversary proved otherwise.
The video shows "The X Factor" judges, Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, and Louis Walsh, going through pictures of the individuals who auditioned for the show, with intentions of forming a group.
The now 44-year-old singer put aside a picture of Niall Horan and eventually added pictures of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik to the lineup.
"They're just too talented to get rid of," she said, "and they got just the right look and charisma on stage... I think they'll be really great in a boy band together."
"They're like little stars [...] you can't get rid of little stars, so you put them all together."
READ MORE: Jadakiss 'Really Hated' Being Diddy's Ghostwriter-Here's Why
Nicole's Role
The never-before-seen footage has now over a million views and 92 thousand likes on YouTube, with fans commenting on the role Nicole Scherzinger played in forming One Direction.
"So after 12 years, it was proven Simon didn't put them together but Nicole did because she believed in them. 'They're all little stars so you have to put them together,'" a fan commented.
"I'm shocked that Nicole never took credit [for] selecting the members of One Direction. She's very humble for that," another commented.
Scherzinger addressed the footage during her interview with "Sherri," when host Sherri commented on how she thought Simon Cowell was the one who formed the group.
"Honestly, I never thought this footage would see the light of day," Scherzinger joked. "I thought Simon burned it."
"It's really cool that it came out because what people are actually seeing is me actually putting them together, the way my mind was working. I just came out of a girl group," she added.
Scherzinger was referring to her girl group days with the Pussycat Dolls from 2003 to 2009. She was the lead singer and wrote songs for the group.
"I know how successful and powerful it can be to be a group. We've gotta join forces."
Foretelling
Just as she had predicted when she was forming One Direction, she exclaimed, "They're the cutest boy band ever! The little girls are going to love them," One Direction became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
They are well-loved by fans, which was evident in the fan-voted awards that they were nominated for. During their six-year stint, One Direction saw massive success internationally and commercially.
They were named Artist of the Year by Billboard in 2014, and won several awards including American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and more.
"She just predicted the future," a fan commented on "The X Factor" video.
Another fan commented, "gotta give it to her, Nicole has an outstanding eye, she picked members carefully and created what is essentially the biggest boys band of all time, pretty insane."
