One Direction Highly In Demand: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, And Niall Horan [Opinion]
One Direction with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne is one of the most successful boy bands in history, in terms of album sales worldwide and definitely in terms of social media buzz.
Occasionally, One Direction has broken sales records set by The Beatles, back in the 1960s. There have been a lot of comparisons between The Beatles and One Direction, mostly in terms of screaming girls and tremendous popularity.
Still, there are differences. Even though John, Paul, George, and Ringo played instruments, One Direction’s only guitarist at concerts is Niall Horan.
One Direction’s Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik also play instruments, even though they haven’t been performing with them.
So what sets One Direction apart from most boy bands and pop music groups? Extreme popularity and longevity of that popularity over a six-year period seem fairly unusual for a pop group. One Direction fans have a fervor and excitement rarely seen since the 1960s.
Even after a year-long hiatus, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik enjoy a lot of social media attention and the demand for their merchandise has not declined. Forbes reports they earned $110 million last year, and that is about the same as the previous year.
In One Direction as in all bands, band chemistry is vital. All the guys not only have to get along, but they also have to be able to write music together, sound well together, and, though it may seem superficial, look right together. One Direction had all that and more, despite the fact that Simon Cowell stuck them together on a whim. Well, maybe it wasn’t a whim but a stroke of genius.
One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson are of course still on hiatus. Zayn Malik wrote a book and designed shoes, among other things, in the latter part of 2016. So when will the music start flowing again?
Harry Styles’ solo album is coming out really soon according to various rumors. The Harry Styles album and single will come out in February according to the rumor started by a source for Hollywood Life.
“Instead of dropping something around Dunkirk, Harry [Styles] is working on dropping music and a full album right around the Grammys,”
Like One Direction’s Made in the AM, there might not be a prior announcement for Harry Style’s debut, and the lead single may not be released far in advance of the album. There will likely be one another album released by another One Direction member within the next 60 days.
One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne have all been working on Solo music during the hiatus. It’s even possible Zayn Malik is working on a little something for fans. On the other hand, he may leave the glory of 2017 for his bandmates or former band mates. It is unclear if Zayn will be rejoining One Direction for the reunion.
If the rumors are correct and Harry Styles will put his album out first, the others will soon follow. Perhaps Niall Horan or Liam Payne will be next. Will Louis Tomlinson be last since he signed his record contract last? March through August are considered great times to release music, so probably One Direction fans can look for four albums between now and September.
Zayn Malik could be working on an album, though it doesn’t seem likely now. Zayn Malik was in the studio during the London Fashion Week. Those reporters attentive to such things suspected he might be working on an album, but he could have been working on his duet single for 50 Shades Darker with Taylor Swift.
One Direction fans mostly want this whole solo thing to be over so Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan can go back on tour together. Some want a Made in the A.M. tour. Since Made in the A.M. is going to be 2 years old by the time the guys go back on tour, it is unlikely that is going to happen, though it could. More likely is that the boys will tour with a new album.
Zayn Malik, who missed making Made in the A.M., could be back for the next one. Many Zayn fans remain hopeful. Zayn Malik has great writing skills and a knack for lyrics and he’s proved successful in creating a vibe. He’d definitely be helpful in writing songs.
RELATED REPORTS FROM THE INQUISITR
It is possible Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan are writing songs for the new One Direction album, even as they finish up their solo albums. They will definitely bring in new ideas for One Direction’s next album after working on solo material. That is really the purpose of solo material for those who are in a successful band. To improve their skills, exchange ideas with people outside the group, and experiment with their craft.
One Direction’s hiatus seems to be working out well for fans, despite their fears that the band was breaking up. Creating four albums in one year is pretty impressive and it could have never been done if the band were still on tour.
One Direction’s Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan are preparing to flood Directioners with the music they crave.
[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
