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Plus, the boys revealed their favorite thing about American girls. (Hint: It’s not their lack of accents.)

One Direction made its American television debut March 12 on the Today show, and not since Justin Bieber took the stage at Rockefeller Plaza have I seen so many girls lose their freakin’ minds before 9 a.m. From the second the boys’ bus arrived at the plaza, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson were at the center of an absolutely chaotic scene.

With their well-groomed band backing them up, the British-Irish wonders performed their three big hits — “What Makes You Beautiful,” “One Thing” and “More Than This” — and their fans loved every minute of it. I’m pretty sure I even spotted Today show empress Hoda Kotb in the audience, capturing her first One Direction experience on her iPhone. I didn’t see a glass of wine in her hand, but I’m sure Kathie Lee Gifford will make sure that happens shortly.

In between songs, Ann Curry asked the boys what they like most about American girls. Zayn, speaking on behalf of his “four best friends,” said he loves that “they’re very loud.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the fandom of One Direction, it’s pretty much Bieber Fever — on crack. And the group’s popularity in the U.S. is already incredible, evidenced not only by the screaming crowd at the Today show, but also by the mob of girls who attacked them upon their arrival in Los Angeles earlier this year.

The five-piece boy band was “discovered” on the UK’s X Factor, where they came in third place on the reality competition show’s seventh season, and their single “What Makes You Beautiful” had the highest-charting Billboard debut in the U.K. in nearly 15 years. So, yeah, they’re kind of huge.

If you’re not one of the more-than 68 million people who have already watched One Direction’s video for “What Makes You Beautiful,” you can check that out below: