One Direction will celebrate their 10th anniversary on July 23, 2020.- For months, the group's members have been hinting at a reunion.
Liam Payne has been the most outspoken about the anniversary and said that he's been in communication with the other band members.- In April, the singer told The Sun that "there's a number of different things that we are all working on to try and make happen and people are forwarding emails around."
One Direction's 10th anniversary is coming up on July 23, 2020, and fans might be in for some surprises.
The British-Irish band was formed in 2010 through the UK reality TV show "The X Factor." Originally comprised of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson, the group became a global hit.
One Direction's popularity spawned chart-topping songs like "What Makes You Beautiful" (with an accompanying music video that has amassed more than 1 billion views on YouTube), tons of merchandise, (like perfumes, dolls, and singing toothbrushes), and sold-out shows around the world.
The band released four studio albums between 2011 and 2014, plus an additional one ("Made in the A.M.") following Malik's departure in March 2015. One Direction announced their hiatus months later, in August.
Some members of 1D have recently spoken about coming together for their upcoming anniversary, so Insider has rounded up everything you need to know about the highly-anticipated reunion.
In February 2020, Tomlinson told 'BBC Breakfast' that a reunion was 'inevitable'
"I'll give you the answer I give everyone else: It's inevitable," Tomlinson, who was on the show to promote his debut solo album titled "Walls," said.
"I don't know when, we don't know when," he added. "I think we'd be stupid not to get back together."
Horan tried to shut down reunion speculation during his interview with the 'Zach Sang Show'
The interview was released in mid-March and when questioned about the band, the "Small Talk" singer said: "No, we've got nothing planned. I'm sure we'll meet up, but there's nothing planned for it."
Styles also played coy about the anniversary during interviews
Styles' interview with the "Zach Sang Show" was done remotely and released in early April, amid the coronavirus and stay-at-home orders.
When asked if he had plans for the big day, Styles said: "Will we still be inside? I'm hoping not. That will be a very emotional day, I'm sure."
In a Sirius XM interview shared days later, the "Kiwi" singer was asked if he'd consider a Zoom reunion with 1D and he said, "I don't know if that's the reunion that we've had in mind. I don't know if that would be the way to do it. I'll have a quick whip-round."
During Horan's 2020 'Carpool Karaoke' segment with James Corden, the singer assuredly said that 1D would reunite
Horan, who was promoting his second solo album titled "Heartbreak Weather," took a lie detector test and was asked: "Do you actually think that One Direction will get back together.
The "No Judgment" singer answered without hesitation, saying, "Yes."
It's unclear when the episode was filmed, but it was released in mid-March as part of Horan's week-long "Late Late Show" takeover. Horan's fast response, which was deemed truthful based on the lie detector test, implied that perhaps he was already aware of a 1D reunion in the works.
The prior month, Horan also told RTÉ Entertainment that they'd "be absolutely ridiculous not to reform the band. We haven't really spoken about the "whens" but we do know we will. We have all said individually that we will and I think it would be stupid if we didn't."
Payne sent friends into a frenzy in April, when he told The Sun that he and the guys of 1D were communicating about how to mark the anniversary
"We've all been speaking together a lot over the last few weeks which has been really nice," the "Stack It Up" singer said to the publication via a virtual chat. "To hear a lot of people's voices and seeing old content and different things that we haven't seen for a long time or never seen before, it's very interesting."
Payne added: "There's a number of different things that we are all working on to try and make happen and people are forwarding emails around."
According to fans, the 1D members and the band's main account all refollowed Malik on Twitter
People took it as a sign that perhaps Malik would be included in the anniversary celebration. The Twitter activity also sparked hashtags like #OneDirection2020 and #OneDirectionReunion.
In April, Page Six reported that the band members were considering a few ways to celebrate the milestone
The publication said that the group brainstormed ideas like a TV special or a new single, but not a tour — which makes sense considering that all the members have solo careers.
Fans have also speculated that a new 1D documentary will be released, following comments reportedly made by Payne during an interview with City Times.
Payne went on to be questioned by Corden and was fairly tight-lipped because he's 'not allowed to say much'
"I'm not allowed to say too much obviously, because I'd be giving it away," Payne said during a virtual appearance on "The Late Late Show" with "Memories" collaborator Alesso in April. "But we've been speaking a lot more at the moment. I think we're all feeling that that 10 year is a very special moment."
He continued: "I had a beautiful FaceTime with Niall, who I hadn't spoken to in a long time, and speaking with Louis. It's been really nice, it's a nice moment."
Payne went on Instagram Live with Alesso and implied that Malik won't be part of whatever celebration is in the works
Payne told the DJ that he spoke to Horan via FaceTime and said that most of the band is currently in London.
"We've been trying to arrange the first group FaceTime at the moment," he said.
—ʞǝɐq ʞɐuɐ (@m2rni) April 19, 2020
"You can come and fill in for Zayn," Payne told Alesso. "Join the band."
The singer also said that Tomlinson scolded him to speaking too much about the reunion.
"I can't say too much," Payne said. "Louis told me off for revealing a little bit about our plans the other day."
—The Daily Payne (@realdailypayne) April 19, 2020
The following day, Horan was joined by Payne on his Instagram Live
Horan told Payne that he spoke to Tomlinson a few days prior in a WhatsApp group chat. Then Payne joked about the trio's failed attempt at a FaceTime.
"I mean, it's so funny," Horan said. "We can never get anyone together even though we're all doing nothing. Even though I know for a fact Louis' just sitting home smoking cigarettes and drinking beers. I was doing the same yesterday."
—Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 20, 2020
Later that day, Payne participated in an interview and downplayed the reunion
"We've been talking a lot more, let's say," Payne said during an interview for "Smallzy's Surgery." "
The lines of communication are a lot more open but reunion wise I don't see anything happening right now," he said.
—Smallzy (@Smallzy) April 21, 2020
Eagle-eyed fans have noticed more suspicious activity online that have given them hopes for a 1D reunion
In January, fans realized that One Direction's official site was reactivated. Several lists (like one titled "One Direction Day VIPs) have also appeared on the band's Twitter account, but it's unclear when the lists were created and made public.
And as pointed out by SiriusXMHits1 and fans online, the number of Twitter users that the band's Twitter account is following keeps changing. People have said that they've seen 1D ads on YouTube, too.
Fans also noticed that 1D's profile photo on Apple
In addition, Payne continues to be nostalgic about his 1D days.
The singer posted a video on YouTube in early April titled "Memories," in which he watched old One Direction videos and reacted to them.
To celebrate Easter shortly after, the singer posted a video on TikTok with the caption: "Hope you're all staying safe. Really missing all my friends and family at this time."
The video included photos of Payne with friends, collaborators, and family members. The final image was a photo of the 1D members hugging each other.
@liampayne Happy Easter Sunday everyone! Hope you’re all staying safe. Really missing all my friends and family at this time ❤️ X ##Midnight ##AlessoMidnight
♬ Midnight - Alesso
Payne said that Tomlinson threatened to egg his home if he continues sharing more details
"I can't tell you any plans because I think Louis will actually kill me at this point because I kind of let the cat out of the bag about the anniversary and whatever else," Payne said in an interview with "Sunrise." "He actually told me off on text message. He said if I do it again he's going to egg my house."
Payne added: "The lines of communication are back open a lot more again, I'd say."
Horan appeared to do damage control, denying a 1D reunion during an Instagram Live
"I get asked this quite a lot, so I've got a good answer coming here," he said during a virtual interview with Claude Harmon III for Cobra Puma Golf UK's Instagram account.
"There's just been a lot of talk about it, but no, there's no reunion and such," Horan said. "We've just been talking a bit more recently."
—Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 29, 2020
As many fans have pointed out, this wouldn't be the first time a band member has denied a reunion that ended up happening.
Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz denied that his group would get back together during a three-year hiatus, but they returned with new music in 2013. And in 2019, Joe Jonas caused a frenzy when he revealed that My Chemical Romance would be reuniting after he heard the band rehearsing next door to the Jonas Brothers in New York. Jonas let the secret slip during an interview with KISS FM UK, but MCR guitarist Frank Iero denied it. Sure enough, the group announced their reunion in December 2019.
On July 1, 2020 Payne further teased a reunion by sharing a video of himself virtually reuniting with Styles
Payne posted the video on TikTok and there appeared to be some technical difficulties on Styles' end. Payne jokingly said that it was "getting weird now."
"I'll speak to you later," he said before the video ended.
@liampayne How’s it going?
♬ original sound - liampayne
Public relations company Simon Jones PR said that the 10th-anniversary celebration will include a new 1D site and a special video
Among the interactive content planned for the occasion, the company said that fans can expect "a special '10 Years of One Direction' website" while will "take the form of a timeline charting the history of the group, from the first audition right up to the start of their hiatus. It will host an archive of music videos, artwork, TV performances, behind-the-scenes and rarely-seen content."
Fans can also expect a new video on YouTube, recapping standout moments from the band's career, plus the release of "rare songs, remixes, live recordings, and acoustic versions of tracks."
- Read more:
- From throwing insults to talking about a reunion, here's everything One Direction members have said since their hiatus
- The top boy band song from the year you were born
- Niall Horan took a lie detector test during 'Carpool Karaoke' and he confidently said One Direction would get back together