After nearly five years of their indefinite hiatus, One Direction had taken to the media to announce that they plan on making a small comeback to the spotlight. While there are some questions still unanswered, (mainly whether this return will be a temporary event, or if they will step back onto the big stage as a band once again,) many fans were on the edge of their seats for the new content that was released on July 23rd. These plans were made in honor of the group’s ten year anniversary since their formation, following their appearance on the British singing competition show, The X Factor. Since their signing with Simon Cowell’s record label, Syco Records, One Direction has made history as one of the world’s top boy bands in the music industry, with chart topping records, multiple music awards, and millions of loyal fans across the globe. However, their teenage fanbase has grown into mature young adults over the years of hiatus, and as a previous “fangirl” myself, I am sure we were all very excited to see what was in store for One Direction. 

The band members, (sans Zayn Malik, who made the decision to leave the band in 2015, and has been rumored to be excluded from any comeback plans) had been teasing fans through the media regarding the new content they had been working on for the 10 year anniversary. It was officially announced that on July 23rd, the band would launch a fully “immersive and interactive” website that charts the history of the band from their X Factor performances all the way to their hiatus. The website also hosts an archive of music video clips, artwork, performances, behind-the-scenes clips, and other exciting content for fans to enjoy. Lastly,  they also released a video documentary that maps their progression as a group, and the “special relationship they have with their fans”. All of this sounds very exciting to One Direction’s loyal fanbase! Yet the question still stands: is a full comeback in the cards for the boy band? According to their statements and other news sources, here is what fans should expect regarding the group’s return:

One of the first members to drop hints regarding One Direction’s supposed return was Liam Payne. Since the group’s hiatus in 2015, Payne has had a few solo projects such as his collaboration song “For You” with Rita Ora for the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack. He also released a full studio album, LP1, last December, which he was promoting in Dubai when he started teasing the anniversary comeback. Payne stated that One Direction’s last show in Dubai may have been recorded and will be included in a documentary that will be released “around an anniversary”. In April 2020, Liam Payne had also revealed that he and the other members have been connecting a lot more recently to talk about anniversary plans, however he cannot say much more after former bandmate Louis Tomlinson, told him off for accidentally revealing too much. Unfortunately, Payne’s statements do not confirm a full reunion happening any time soon, as everyone is releasing new music with at least two years of promotion already planned. Therefore, any prospect of a One Direction reunion will most likely take place in the year 2022 at the earliest. However, he also stated that it looks “very hopeful in that department” and that he is starting to believe that it will eventually happen. 

Another former One Direction member, Harry Styles, has had a fruitful music career since the band’s indefinite hiatus in 2015. Between the release of his first studio album Harry Styles -which featured the singer’s very successful debut solo single Sign of the Times- and now his second studio album Fine Line, with multiple fan favorites on that track list as well, Styles has definitely been making the most out of his time away from One Direction and has built himself his own name separate from the other members. He was even set to tour Fine Line, within the coming year, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these concert dates have been postponed until 2021. However, despite the success Harry Styles has experienced on his own, he does not rule out the possibility of a One Direction reunion. Similarly to Liam Payne’s claim, Styles acknowledges that the timing at the moment does not seem ideal for a comeback; especially given that he has plans to tour his new album, and the other members have their own personal projects that need time for promotion as well. However, the artist claims that he would “definitely never say never” because he feels that One Direction was a very big part of his life and the beginning of his music career. As Styles had told Rolling Stone, “if there’s a time when we all really wanna do it, that’s the only time for us to do it because I don’t think it should be about anything else other than the fact that we’re all like, ‘Hey, this was really fun. We should do this again.’” Considering the other members’ statements that will be discussed later on, the prospect of their reunion happening within the next few years becomes less likely, however not impossible.

However, despite the hope that a reunion will happen, Styles believes that he cannot see himself making a full switch back to the “boyband persona” after experiencing a new way to create music with his pure artistic vision. Styles stated, “I enjoy making music this way too much to see myself doing a full switch, to go back and do that again. Because I also think if we went back to doing things the same way, it wouldn’t be the same, anyway.” With this being said, One Direction fans should also acknowledge that while a full comeback may or may not be in the cards for the future, many things would be different regarding the band dynamics and even the kind of music they may put out together if these hopes were to come to fruition. Just as the fanbase has grown and matured as people, the members have also grown and matured as people and artists. They have spent their time off finding their own creative voice, their identity as individual musicians, and also experiencing many life changing events such as new relationships and love, difficult losses (i.e. the tragic passing of Louis Tomlinson’s mother and sister) and even fatherhood. These experiences have definitely changed the members’ perspective of the world and how they will portray it in their music, so fans should be prepared for an experimental new sound if the members were to reunite in the studio once again. While they may not be the innocent, carefree teenagers that we remember from 2011, a new, more mature One Direction could definitely be something to look forward to within the next few years.

Moving on from Harry Styles’ claims regarding the reunion, Louis Tomlinson is also in support of a One Direction reunion in the future. However, he is on the same page with his other members in that now is not an ideal time. Especially for him, as he is just starting to regain his footing in the music industry with the coming release of his first album after four years of hiatus. As Tomlinson explained to BBC, “[The reunion] will happen at one point. We would be stupid not to, but we’re just exploring and enjoying life as individuals right now.” He also agrees that the music would have to be different, because their previous works catered more towards a teenage audience as they were teenagers themselves. However, Tomlinson claims that he is prepared for the day that One Direction reunites, and that he believes it will be a “magical” day for all of the members. He also suspects that if anyone were to initiate serious discussion of a One Direction comeback, it would be himself. Regarding when the reunion will take place, he confirmed that there is still no clear idea, however he believes that anytime after the members turn 35 would be too late to revive the band, as they would be too far removed from their roots to be able to maintain One Direction’s original integrity while creating a more mature sound. Louis Tomlinson’s statements give fans the most hope for a reunion, claiming that it is “inevitable” and that the members have a very unique bond with each other. The question that will always remain (at least until there is an announcement that discussion has begun), is when this reunion will happen.

The member that has been the most silent recently about any news of the reunion is Niall Horan, who took to Twitter to announce that he would stop asking questions after fans twisted some previous words he had said to believe that the reunion was definitely happening after all. However, Horan only claimed that the members had started talking more, given that their ten year anniversary is approaching. Although, the Irish singer-songwriter has made statements in the past that shows his confidence in a reunion happening eventually. While on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, Horan took a polygraph exam (a lie detector test) in which Corden asked if he believes the band will reunite. When his affirmative answer was proven to be true, fans were relieved and also excited to hear the confirmation. Horan has also expressed in the past that if One Direction were to make a comeback, they would want people to know that they are returning to restore the happiness in their fans that had missed them, rather than thinking that they are returning for the money and the fame. This has also been a source of hesitation for the ‘Slow Hands' singer, in addition to the fact that he is enjoying doing his own thing and making music as a solo artist. However, like the other members have stated, Horan would be ready for a comeback at any time, and he also believes that the One Direction would go through some reform to fit their new styles and individual artistic personalities.

After looking at all of the band members’ previous statements regarding the One Direction reunion, it is clear that their comeback will happen eventually, and everyone is in support of the idea. It is just a matter of when, and how things will be different from the original teen boy band that we remember from ten years ago. Regardless, with the passing of One Direction’s ten year anniversary on July 23rd, fans already had much to look forward to in terms of new content on an interactive website, a nostalgic trip through the history of the band, and a video documentary to accompany the whole thing. Be sure to tune into the new website and the official One Direction YouTube Channel to see everything that this milestone has in store for their fans, and keep your fingers crossed for a full reunion happening in the (hopefully) near future.