The year is 2016. One Direction’s last album has already dropped and the famous boyband has announced the hiatus that would become the end of the band. Ever since the headline hit the stands, fans have been waiting, begging, for a One Direction reunion. Now in 2026, a whole decade later, we seem to be getting the closest we’ll ever get to the One Direction comeback we have been waiting for.
If you are anything like me, this is exactly the news you have planning for for a while now. I, along with my aunt, have a mission, a goal of seeing each of the former One Direction band members live in concert on their own respective solo tours. With all the announcements, rollouts, and stadiums being booked, it appears our mission will be complete as early as next year. Here we’ll take a look at what each of the One Direction boys are up to, and why our ambitions are suddenly so possible.
Niall Horan
On January 20th, Niall Horan (my personal favorite band member) announced his new single, a duet with Myles Smith called “Drive Safe.” While this is not a huge announcement, Horan is due for a new album and tour having ended his “The Show Live On Tour” in 2024. His previous albums have all been released three years after each other, and since his last album “The Show” was released in 2023, 2026 is right on schedule for NH4. Horan has also confirmed he plans on releasing new music at the end of the year, lining it up with this three year pattern. The release date of “Drive Safe” is also important to note, but we’ll get to that later…
Zayn Malik
Malik just finished playing a series of shows in Las Vegas, released a new single for his upcoming album “Konnakol,” and announced his biggest solo tour yet. “Konnakol” doesn’t release until April, but the announcement was enough to send fans, myself included, scurrying into the Ticketmaster queue.
Louis Tomlinson
“How Did I Get Here?,” Louis Tomlinson’s third studio album, just released a few weeks ago, on January 22nd. Shortly before the release he had also made public his plans for tour, similar to Zayn Malik. The CEOs of Spotify and Ticketmaster must have been getting sick of the uproar surrounding the former One Direction stars, and they had no idea just how big it would get.
Harry Styles
I am sure we have all heard the news about Harry Styles by now. He has released his new single “Aperture” for his album releasing next month, putting an end to his four year media silence. If that was not enough to break the internet and send the world into a frenzy, he also crashed the Ticketmaster systems after revealing his residencies for tour, including an unprecedented thirty night stay at Madison Square Garden in New York. Here’s where “Drive Safe” comes back in. Styles released “Aperture” also on January 20th, the same day as Horan’s new collaboration and the same day as the opening night of Zayn Malik’s Las Vegas residency. This would all be a coincidence if it were not for the meticulous rollout Styles had clearly well thought out for his return to music, pulling a Taylor Swift and dropping countdowns, cryptic websites, and easter eggs. When adding in the fact that a few days later, on January 22nd, Styles announced his “Together, Together” tour the same day Louis Tomlinson’s new album was set to release, and considering the fact the former boyband members are still all friends and in contact, it is hard to believe each separate event was aligned by chance or mistake. Whether touring, releasing music, or both, the One Direction boys are all simultaneously active for the very first time since they were in the band, making this feel like the reunion we have wanted.
Liam Payne
Why would this be happening now though? It has been years since the split of One Direction, leaving plenty of time for a reunion, collaborations, or correlating release dates. Chances are it is more than just participation in the “2026 is the new 2016” trend. We cannot forget amidst all the excitement and chaos of the former boyband members returning that somebody is not a part of it. With this being the first time the One Direction boys are releasing major musical projects since Liam Payne’s tragic passing in October of 2024, many speculate that this is their tribute to their late friend and band member. Coming back together as One Direction for an actual reunion would not be right with Payne missing. By all returning to music at the exact same time, they are able to make it feel like One Direction has returned while giving Payne the best homage they can give without having a reunion that would not be complete without him.
Having seen Niall Horan live in 2024, my aunt and I have one out of five band members down. With Louis Tomlinson lined up for July, Harry Styles in the calendar for September, and Zayn set up for November, we will have seen all the last possible members that we could see live in one year. Our mission will be complete almost as fast as if we saw them on the stage all together. It may be different than what we meant when we initially asked for a reunion, but One Direction is back, at least in some form, a decade after their split. The music is out. The concerts are booked. The boys are all back on the charts. The wait is over.