July 23, 2010. One Direction was formed on The X Factor (UK) by Simon Cowell. The band quickly rose to stardom and had a whirlwind of success, topping charts and setting records left and right.
March 25, 2015. Fans’ hearts across the world were broken when member Zayn Malik announced his departure from the band in the middle of their “On the Road Again “tour. The remaining four members finished the tour and dropped one final album, Made in the A.M., on Nov. 13, 2015.
Dec. 31, 2015. One Direction made their final performance on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve before going on an indefinite hiatus in Jan. 2016, shaking the world of millions of fans worldwide.
As of today, all five members have released at least one solo album. They all have experienced their own success, exploring their individual style and working at their own pace. With their tenth anniversary approaching this summer, however, the internet has exploded with rumors of a celebratory reunion, all thanks to member Liam Payne.
It all started with a brief interview and performance that Liam did to promote his new single, “Midnight,” with artist Alesso. The six-minute clip was uploaded to James Corden’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, April 14. Corden, a long-time friend and supporter of the band, of course, brought up the upcoming ten-year anniversary and got Liam talking.
When Corden asked if they were planning anything to celebrate such a milestone, Liam’s face brightened as he told him that “I’m not allowed to say too much obviously, because I’d be giving it away. But we’ve been speaking a lot more at the moment and I think we’re all feeling that that ten-year is a very special moment especially with the age we are…yeah, it’s been really nice, it’s a nice moment.”
So far, members Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson have not chimed in to add to the speculation. Despite nothing being officially confirmed, fans went wild on social media, expressing mixed feelings about the rumored reunion. One specific detail was seemingly weighing on everyone’s minds, though—what about Zayn?
Even though Zayn’s departure caused some tension between the members and the fans, the drama unfolded a long time ago. Many feel that he deserves to be included, while others feel that Zayn may be too far gone from the band to even consider being involved. While there have been rumors that he was added back to One Direction’s Wikipedia page as an active member as well as being added back to One Direction’s official website, I can confirm that neither of these is currently true statements.
While Wikipedia has yet to call it official, nothing goes by One Direction fans unnoticed. It was impossible to ignore that Harry, Niall, Liam and Louis have all refollowed Zayn on Twitter. Considering how harsh they took his departure, fans are viewing this act as a huge clue that if there is a surprise reunion in the works, Zayn will be included in some way. It may be important to note, though, that Louis’ Twitter bio still says “1/4 of One Direction.”
While most of the details are speculation and fans wishful thinking, one thing is for certain: with the way the internet exploded over Liam’s interview, any kind of reunion is bound to send the fans into a frenzy. Whether they decide on a tour, a single, a tell-all documentary, another 1D Day livestream or just a simple group interview, everyone will be watching and waiting.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!