If you’re a fan of the British heartthrob group One Direction, chances are you’re a little overwhelmed with everything that’s happening with the professional and personal lives of the Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik (Yes, he left the band, but he’ll always have a place in 1D and our hearts.) With an album release date, an upcoming single release, a broken foot, and plenty of other crazy happenings going on in the 1D world, it seems like everything is being turned upside down. If you feel out of breath trying to catch up with the lives of our favorite signing lads, fear not! We’ve created this comprehensive guide to all the 1D news you need to know.
1) Album #5, “Made in the A.M.” has a release date–and a few singles.
This is the first album that the boys will be releasing since Zayn Malik’s departure. We know, we’re still holding back our tears too. On September 22nd, Liam Payne tweeted that the fifth album was officially available for preorder, and doing so granted you access to the boy’s first single since the summer hit “Drag Me Down,” called “Infinity.” The album will be officially released on Friday, November 13th, which happens to be the same day as the release of Justin Bieber’s latest album. Payne has also been tweeting about the release of the album’s next single, “Perfect,” due Friday, October 16th. While we don’t know much about the upcoming album, one thing is for sure: we’re going to get a lot of new (Zaynless) promo photoshoots.
2) Louis Tomlinson is having a baby girl–allegedly.
While nothing has been confirmed since reports of a paternity test being taken, sources say that Louis Tomlinson and Briana Jungwirth are supposedly planning a pink-themed baby shower. Sorry Louis girls, looks like this may be the nail in the coffin for the baby-mania surrounding Tomlinson since news leaked that he and Jungwirth were expecting.
3) Harry Styles has a broken foot.
MTV first reported that Styles, the clumsiest of the group, was wearing a boot-cast when meeting fans in Sweden. While we’re not exactly how he got this injury, the countless vines of Styles slipping and tumbling on stage may give us a clue.
4) After the fifth album, the boys are taking a break.
Okay, so maybe this is old news, but it’s HUGE old news. In August, it was announced that after doing promotion for “Made in the A.M.,” One Direction will take an extended hiatus in March 2016. That means no tour to follow the massive On the Road Again tour of 2015. The break is indefinite, but it has been confirmed that it will last at least one year. Oh, and on an unrelated note, Liam and Louis may have kissed on-stage.
5) Zayn Malik is building his solo career.
It seems like Zayn posts a new Instagram selfie to bring us all to tears every day. He dyes his hair a different color every week (this time around sporting blonde tips), broke off his engagement with Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards and his ties to producer Naughty Boy, signed to RCA records, and has been in and out of the studio since he announced his split from the band. While it seems like everything in his life is changing after ending his 1D career, Zayn has been constantly working on his first solo album. Most recently, the names of the members of his newly-established live band have been released. The band, consisting of guitarists Arianna Powell and Liso Sojung Lee, background vocalists Nava Morris and Chaynler Joie Stewart, drummer Jacob Myers Jr, and Brian London on keys, was announced earlier this week, to mostly favorable fan reception. There’s no word yet on possible release dates yet, but those of us that still keep track of Zayn’s career are waiting on the edge of our seat for any kind of announcement.
Gone are the days when being a One Direction fan meant the only thing you needed to worry about was what the boys were going to wear to the Brit Awards. It seems like every day, poor Directioners are getting new information about the boys that sends our entire existence into a tailspin. We hope this guide cleared things up a bit, at least until the next bombshell gets dropped!