It’s been five and a half years since One Direction went on hiatus, however that didn’t stop each of the members from releasing music. In fact, each of them have released a brand new single over a one-month span! All five members continue to carry a pop base in their music, however each have steered away from one direction (no pun intended) and ventured out into five different styles.
Louis Tomlinson was the first to release his single “Kill My Mind” on September 5th. Louis throws it back to the 1990s decade with an indie, pop-rock inspired sound (think a mix of Weezer, Oasis and the Arctic Monkeys). He sings about an intense relationship with someone who has a firm grip on his intellect and heart. After losing his mother in December 2016 and his sister, Felicite, in March of this year, Louis music reflects a darker emotional side of loss and love, something fans and listeners had not yet seen since One Direction’s hiatus.
Liam Payne released his pop/hip-hop single “Stack it Up” featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie, two weeks later on September 19th. Fun fact: his single was written by none other than Ed Sheeran! Liam explained on his various social media channels that the song is about “working hard, being inspired and achieving your dreams.” Liam’s first album, LP1, will debut on December 6th.
Although Zayn Malik technically did not release a new single, he collaborated with the groups Shaed to re-release their hit “Trampoline” on September 26th.
Zayn’s R&B vibe perfectly fits in with the melody and lyrics of the song. Zayn is also featured on Sabrina Claudio’s song “Rumors,” which was released on October 4th.
Also to release a song on October 4th was Niall Horan. Niall’s “Nice to Meet Ya” turned his ballad single-songwriter style a little more up-tempo with a melodic fusion of a piano and electric guitar. In an interview with Radio.com, Niall explained that this song is “based on a true story… on being on a night out, and locking eyes with someone.” Catch Niall singing “Nice to Meet Ya” this year on the multi-city Jingle Ball 2019 tour!
Unlike his peers who promoted their singles for several weeks leading up to the release, Harry Styles surprised fans with his new soulful, enigmatic single “Lights Up” on October 11th. Harry’s song can be interpreted in different ways; however, many fans and critics believe this to be his progressive take on fitting in with the LGBTQ+ community, since the song was released on National Coming Out Day, and he sings about pondering on who he is, coming out into the light and not looking back. On World Mental Health Day (October 10th), which happened to be the day before “Lights Up” was released, Harry dropped hints about his forthcoming song by establishing a website (https://doyouknowwhoyouare.com/) which matched the last line of the chorus (“do you know who you are”) and also creating a way to spread love, good vibes and positivity to everyone.
Rumor has it the members of One Direction are planning to reunite in 2020, but for now, let’s hope that their individual albums or more singles drop soon!