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Louis Tomlinson Set To Ditch One Direction’s Management After All?

By Alan Ewart
Published on: 23:43 PST, May 31, 2016

If you are a fan of One Direction stars Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, you would be forgiven if you were feeling confused today. For months now, fans have been hoping that One Direction’s current hiatus would see Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne follow Harry Styles lead by quitting One Direction’s management team. As time has dragged on, it began to look like Tomlinson had decided to maintain his links with Simon Cowell, but reports today indicate that Louis may be set to break free after all.

After Tomlinson appeared with Cowell at the judges houses stage of the last season of The X Factor, the celebrity rumor mill insisted that Louis would be returning as a judge during the next season of Cowell’s struggling show.

Keen Tomlinson fans feared the worst when Louis was interviewed at the Brit Awards and appeared to confirm that he was lined up for the show. According to the Mirror, Louis told the Sun that he was excited by the prospect of returning to his X Factor roots.

“Of course, it’s really exciting. We’ve had no official conversation yet. But yeah, I mean, why wouldn’t I?”

According to BBC News, Tomlinson will not appear on The X Factor after all. Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, and Nicole Scherzinger will join Simon Cowell on this year’s judging panel. It seems that Cowell wants to rewind the clock in his attempts to save the ailing show that has been in decline since One Direction competed in 2010. Interestingly, Liam Payne’s reported squeeze Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Harry Styles’ buddy Nick Grimshaw have been axed, perhaps suggesting a widening rift between One Direction and Cowell.

If the Sun is to believed, then Tomlinson is in the process of setting up a new management structure that will see him ditch Modest Management to sign with the James Grant Group, the team who manage TV stars like Ant and Dec and Holly Willoughby. It is claimed that Tomlinson will concentrate on possible TV roles rather than music, at least in the short-term.

“Louis is very interested in the world of TV. He is considering opportunities both in front of the camera, including documentaries, and behind-the-scenes as a producer.”

Of course, Tomlinson will still have an interest in the music business through his record label, Triple Strings Ltd. It was widely reported last year, including in the Mirror, that Louis was keen to establish his own label to develop new talent.

It was recently reported by the Inquisitr that Louis is set to play soccer star Jamie Vardy in a biopic that details Vardy’s rags to riches story. With commitments stacking up for Tomlinson, it does seem that Louis is set to put his own recording career on hold, at least in the short-term.

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In what will be music to the ears of many One Direction fans, the Evening Standard report that Tomlinson’s bandmate Liam Payne is also seeking new management. Payne has been taking it easy since One Direction went on hiatus and seems in no hurry to set his nose back to the grindstone.

With Louis, Harry, and Liam set to escape the clutches of Cowell’s SyCo and One Direction’s current management structure, it seems that Niall Horan is left out on a limb. Horan recently set up a sports management company in partnership with Modest Management. Now, the Sun claims that Niall is set to sign a solo deal with SyCo and that he may be the first of the four remaining members of One Direction to release solo material.

All of these changes could well see Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Niall Horan all have separate management teams. This is certain to cause anxiety for One Direction fans. Of course, there is no reason why Louis and the rest of the boys cannot have a management team for their solo endeavors while having a common interest and team for One Direction. In many ways, this would be a sensible move, as it would help to prevent conflicts of interest between personal and band commitments.

Fans of Louis Tomlinson and One Direction would be grateful for some clarity as to their respective futures. Doubtless, many Tomlinson fans will see the current situation as a management plan to keep interest levels in Louis and his bandmates high while they enjoy their break.

[Photo by John Davisson/Invision/AP Images]

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