It’s been over a year since One Direction announced their hiatus in January 2016 and since then, Directioners have been placated with a number of solo efforts and diverging career paths.
Resident 1D bad boy Harry Styles took his leave from One Direction to make the transition into movies. The English musician is set to appear in this summer’s highly anticipated Christopher Nolan historical film Dunkirk, with Styles front and center in the film’s trailer, which also stars Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy.
Thankfully, this foray into acting doesn’t mean Styles is completely done with music. Fans who tuned into the UK edition of The X Factor this weekend were treated to a surprise teaser from Styles. Heavy on the tease.
Following in the same footsteps as Adele, who gave fans a sneak peek of her monster hit “Hello” during a 2015 X Factor commercial break, Styles debuted a 30-second commercial showing the brooding singer looking wistfully at the camera. The British pop star doesn’t actually speak or sing in the teaser, but the clip ends with the date April 7, so at least now we have an answer to the question ‘when the heck is Harry releasing new music?’ We just have no idea what it’s going to sound like.
But does it even matter?
As for the other Directioners, Niall Horan dropped his debut solo single “This Town” in 2016, promising that new music and a full album would arrive sometime this year. The Irish singer has been spotted in the studio with Canadian teen Shawn Mendes, meaning the two heartthrobs are possibly working on a collaboration. Let the screams commence.
One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson has added two big projects to his resume since the temporary end of 1D, including fatherhood and a new duet with Steve Aoki. The two premiered “Just Hold On” on the X Factor in 2016 only days after the passing of Tomlinson’s mother. The singer has continued to have a tumultuous few months, with his most recent headline the coming after being arrested at LAX for assaulting a photographer.
As for Liam Payne, the singer has also recently became a father, welcoming a son with girlfriend and fellow pop star Cheryl Cole this past weekend. Payne has dropped a handful of new music teasers since One Direction embarked on their hiatus, but nothing that has yet to be released in full.
