One Direction Expectations For 2017: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, And Zayn Malik Timetable


One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson are still committed to fans and will return when their hiatus is over. They are all still part of the band. It is unknown if Zayn Malik will be part of 1D again, and most people probably consider that unlikely considering Malik’s anxiety issues, but it really could happen.

One Direction is on hiatus, and if one can recall, Niall Horan said from the beginning that it would be 18 months before the boys came together again. The hiatus officially began in March of 2016 as People recalls, so One Direction could reunite around September of 2017. Horan has repeatedly promised a reunion, but obviously not soon. See the video below to see Niall explain the hiatus.

One Direction’s Niall Horan explains the hiatus yet again in the video below. Niall has promised a reunion in numerous recent interviews. Next fall, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and perhaps Louis Tomlinson will be together again.

Zayn Malik, formerly of One Direction, left the band in March of 2015. Then Malik released an album in March of 2016, just as the rest of One Direction went on hiatus. March again? What is it about March?

One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne have been working on solo albums. They are all going with different management teams and record labels. They have all escaped Simon Cowell’s grasp, until…

Louis Tomlinson signed a solo deal with Simon Cowell, according to the Daily Mail. Apparently, Louis is sticking with Syco Records. Who saw that one coming? Tomlinson’s solo album really isn’t a huge surprise. It would be hard to imagine Tomlinson not creating music for 18 whole months. The surprise is that Louis is going to sign with Simon’s Syco.

One Direction’s hiatus has been a shocking upset for One Directioners. It is hard to imagine life without Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson being together and on tour. It was hard to imagine Zayn Malik leaving One Direction, but it happened.

Harry Styles of One Direction [Image by Helga Esteb/Shutterstock]

One Direction is calculating their hiatus as 18 months from March. Why March? They actually haven’t performed together since January 1. Why not count from January? Remember, Zayn Malik left the band in March of 2015, and the hiatus began in March of 2016. Zayn’s album also came out in March of 2016. Why March and why 18 months?

One Direction is apparently legally separate from Harry Styles, Niall Horan, or Liam Payne as solo artists. One Direction is a legal entity in that way. As explained in detail in the Inquisitr, much of what Harry, Niall, and Liam are doing appears to be related to contract obligations. While One Direction’s contract with Simon is confidential, some aspects of the contracts are fairly standard, while others are particular to Syco and X-Factor. Nearly all contracts involve a six-month to seven-year time period.

The original One Direction contract, signed by Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne together with Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson, would have been signed in the fall of 2010. About seven years from that date would be the fall of 2017. Most contracts are seven years or less, and it is hard to impossible to enforce after seven years. Also, five years is a bit more standard.

One Direction’s contract with X-Factor is likely an option contract, which makes it hard to get out of as long as the record company wants to renew during a given period. Simon Cowell could renew or let it go at will, and it could be difficult for the band to get out of. Zayn’s departure could have allowed Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne a way out. Unfortunately, there is a possibility of a non-compete clause that could prevent the guys from performing together for a set period, usually two years or less, after the contract is dissolved.

All of One Direction’s contractual obligations with Simon Cowell will likely be fulfilled by September of 2017. From March to September is 18 months, another common time period used in contracts. Thus it is possible that the hiatus is about sitting out their contract with Syco records.

One Direction’s contract with Simon Cowell is likely to be an option contract in which Cowell gets half of One Direction’s profits, according to the International Music Managers Forum, an organization that guides music management companies.

In short, One Direction’s hiatus, if the contract theory is correct, has to be at least 18 months. It is very likely that Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan will reunite in the last quarter of 2017.

One Direction will very likely sign a recording contract with a major record company like Capitol or Columbia after the hiatus is over. Then they will make a new and incredibly different album from their old style. When the album is completed, they will go on tour.

While One Direction’s 18-month hiatus seems like an awfully long time to Directioners, it really isn’t that long when one considers the fact that Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson have been on an overbooked tour almost continually since the fall of 2010, and so was Zayn Malik, who got really sick from the exhaustion and stress.

Niall Horan at the American Music Awards [Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson have earned a break. They deserve it, don’t they? It’s not so bad for fans either. Fans can now expect four solo albums in 2017, and probably one from Zayn Malik as well. Zayn also wrote a book this year.

One Direction’s Harry Styles will appear in the movie Dunkirk and is probably going to make another before the hiatus is over. Styles is rumored to be starring in a Rolling Stones biopic as Mick Jagger. Zayn Malik is going to be creating a TV show called Boys, about a band like One Direction. So expect five new heartthrobs to come out of that show.

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson became a father during the hiatus, and so will Liam Payne. People has just confirmed that Cheryl is pregnant.

So One Direction has been busy during hiatus: there will be five new albums, a new TV show, at least two movies, a book from Zayn Malik, and two babies, one from Louis Tomlinson and another from Liam Payne. There is no way they could have done all that if they’d been together on a tour bus, so the hiatus has some advantages.


RELATED REPORTS FROM THE INQUISITR

One Direction’s Odd Hiatus Behavior? What Are Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan And Liam Payne Doing And Why?

One Direction Update: Niall Horan Reassures Fans Harry Styles And Liam Payne Are ‘Just Chilling,’ And Louis Tomlinson Is Working Too

Zayn Malik And Niall Horan Meet Up At American Music Awards: One Direction Five Member Reunion One Step Closer?

One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, And Zayn Malik: Expect 4 Albums, A TV Show And A Movie Or Two From Them In 2017

One Direction’s Solo Updates: Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, And Zayn Malik Have Different Release Approaches

Who Is Leaving One Direction? Harry Styles? Niall Horan? Liam Payne? Anyone Else?

Four One Direction Hiatus Strategy Theories: What Are Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, And Zayn Malik Really Trying To Accomplish?


One Direction’s Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, and perhaps even Zayn Malik, will be back together, but they’ve gotten a lot done separately.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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