Moonheads, gather round: "What's Your Name? Here's everything you need to know about August Moon from

The Idea of You, which opens in theaters on May 2, is the debut feature from 2024's hottest new boy band, August Moon. The film tells the unconventional love story of a 40-year-old single mother, played by Anne Hathaway, and a 20-something musician, Hayes Campbell, played by Nicholas Galitzine. If the age difference isn't enough, Hayes is also one of the five singers who make up the very famous British pop group August Moon, and has been compared to One Direction since the original novel was released in 2017.

August Moon mania has grown along with anticipation for the film's release, as both former Direction fans and current boy band fans have become obsessed with the band. They already have over 265,000 monthly Spotify listeners and maintain an active Instagram full of behind-the-scenes clips and even a TikTok challenge. And don't worry, the songs are bona fide bops that will be on countless Spotify rap playlists by the end of the year. What you need to know about August Moon is the connection between this fictional band and 1D, as fans have speculated.

It's a long story, but part of it. Lee has publicly stated that he drew inspiration from several men when creating the character of Hayes Campbell, including Harry Styles. Other Britons have also influenced the character, including Prince Harry, ex-boyfriends, and her husband.

As fans learned more about the book, many noticed the similarities between August Moon and One Direction. It is also known that Hayes and Styles have dated older women, especially Styles, who was dating Olivia Wilde.

Still, Lee has made it clear that he does not think his book should be overshadowed by its loose inspiration. 'This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles,' she told Vogue in 2020. 'It was supposed to be a story about a woman on the cusp of turning 40, reclaiming her sexuality, and rediscovering herself.'

Regarding the film adaptation, Galizine said in an interview with PEOPLE magazine that he wanted to "distance" himself from playing Hayes because of the easy comparison to Stiles. He explained that "Hayes is his own character, and I think he as a musician has his own conflicts and desires and preferences."

"We referenced a huge amount of different things," Galitzine added.

"I think boy bands as a whole are a conglomeration of a lot of different artists and groups. I hope people will watch the film with an open mind and embrace Hayes and August Moon. Because there are some really, really catchy songs in the film."

August Moon consists of Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), Oliver (Raymond Chum Jr.), Adrian (Jayden Anthony), Simon (Victor White), and Rory (Dakota Adan).

Galizine is best known for her roles in the 2023 romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue, the 2023 hit comedy Bottoms, the recent Starz series Mary & George, and the 2021 musical Cinderella, where she first showcased his skills as the main vocalist for all of August Moon's songs. Cham is an LA-born actor and dancer who started as a child actor and has recently appeared in Max's drama series "Sort Of" and Fox's short-lived series "The Big Leap". Anthony is a professional dancer and made his acting debut in The Idea of You. He has danced for Beyonce, Khalid, and New Jeans. White (aka Slavik Pustovoitov) is a dancer from Ukraine with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram. Adan is a dancer, model, poet, and content creator.

The men behind August Moon have opened up about how they underwent "boy band boot camp," also known as "boot camp." According to J-14, they spent a month practicing the performance scene and building chemistry as bandmates.

Specifically, they cite groups like 90s legends Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, as well as K-pop superstars like BTS, as sources of inspiration.

"Seeing how BTS dominated the space as a group helped establish a sympathy between myself and these four young men.

"But they are amazing artists. To be fair, I had three weeks before I started, so there was no way to get to the level of BTS."

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While speaking with Marie Claire, Lee also mentioned a fun Easter egg she incorporated while writing the book: all of August Moon's song titles and band names are after her favorite childhood bands.

"I was a big fan of Duran Duran when I was younger, and August Moon comes from the lyrics of one of their songs ['The Wild Boys']. In the book, their songs, tours, and albums are all named after Duran Duran's more esoteric lyrics."

To create the original songs for August Moon, the team behind The Idea of You tapped real-life hit makers who have worked with countless superstars (including One Direction). Frankie Pine, who just worked on last year's Daisy Jones & the Six, served as music supervisor on the Michael Showalter-directed film, and famed vocal coach Eric Vetro worked with Galizine.

Meanwhile, songwriter and record producer Savan Kotecha served as executive producer of songs for the fictional group. He utilized the same pop songwriting skills he has used when working with artists such as Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, and The Weeknd. Coteca has also written music for films such as Netflix's "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga," and was a vocal coach on the competition reality series "X-Factor" with 1D

He has also served as a vocal coach for the competition reality series "X-Factor", in which 1D appeared.

Kotecha's connection to 1D is certainly evident in August Moon's music. The fictional band's lead single "Dance Before We Walk" has been compared countless times to the real band's 2011 breakthrough hit single "What Makes You Beautiful." Both songs were written by Kotecha and Carl Falk.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, Kotecha revealed that he had not heard of the similarities between the two songs until August Moon's song was released.

"It's very funny, but I didn't even think about it until 'Dance Before We Walk' was released," Kotecha said of the similarities between One Direction and August Moon. 'When you're in it, sometimes you don't know what you're doing. That was never the goal. Me and Carl never talked about it. But I guess when we write pop songs for men together, that's what it sounds like. ...... People compare us, but I think if you watch the film, you'll see that we're not the same band."

Pine also explained to the outlet that their main consideration was for August Moon to be "musically strong like One Direction."

"But we didn't want to be flashy like One Direction," she added.

"But I didn't want it to be flashy like One Direction, I wanted it to be a little more down to earth.

Unfortunately, August Moon, along with Daisy Jones & the Six and Turning Red's 4*Town, will likely join the list of beloved fake bands that only exist on screen. (In an interview with Elite Daily, the actors who played the boy band, with the exception of Galitzine, assured that August Moon exists only within the scope of the film and its soundtrack.

"I hope people can walk away from the film and appreciate what's in it," Cham told the publication. . but I think what's in the film is incredible."

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