6 Theories Why One Direction Might Actually Break Up *TEAR*

I say this with a sad, broken heart...
One Direction
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Trust me, I'm the last person on Earth who wants to believe that One Direction might soon be calling it quits and going their separate ways, and if you asked me a month ago when Zayn first quit the band if I thought the rest of the boys were still in it for the long-life-long-haul, I would have said, YES, ABSOLUTELY.

But some recent 1D developments have been making me feel a tad bit uncomfortable about my fave boys' futures as a unit, and after I calmed down from my initial crazy-Directioner-denial phase, I've started to get the feeling that the boys might — it's so hard to type — go their separate ways once their six-album contract is up.

Here are the signs that are making me feel queasy with dread that this is the beginning of the end of my fave band:

1. Zayn had a solo act clause in his contract, which probs means at least one (if not all) of the rest of the boys have them too.

Sony apparently anticipated the day when one of the boys would leave the group, because shortly after Zayn quit, it was revealed that Zayn was still contractually a solo artist under Sony. If Zayn Malik signed a solo clause in the early days of 1D, there's no way Harry Styles and Liam Payne didn't as well (back when the only three boys who ever got solos were Harry, Zayn, and Liam *Sony side eye*). And then once the boys started picking up steam and Niall and Louis proved they had just as much to offer (vocally and creatively) as the other three boys (not that they should have had to...), Sony would have had to be crazy not to have signed solo clauses for them as well when they renewed their contracts in 2013. So basically, all the boys are probs sitting on solo contracts for if/when they do split up. And that might not have made me nervous if all the boys were still happily part of the band, but they might be tempted to follow in Zayn's footsteps.

2. Zayn might actually be recording a solo album post-1D...

As much as I railed against the idea that Zayn was recording his own solo album post-1D, his continued attachment to producer Naughty Boy (who's taken to speaking about and for Zayn like it's his one and only job — but that's a whole other story ~sigh~) is making me think that they may have a collab in the works for the near future. I mean, Naughty Boy's gone out of his way to release music they've recorded together, along with really vague tweets like, "let the music do the talking guys. thank us later. :)" What does that even mean?! And "thank you later" for what?! What's coming later?! Your vague-ness is not appreciated. But it's also making me thing that Naughty Boy actually is itching to produce an album with Zayn no matter how much he insists publicly that he's just ~chilling~ with him in the studio.

3. Louis is starting his own record label...

Some of the boys have even started breaking out on their own. Louis recently revealed to The Sun that he was launching his very own record label as an imprint of Simon Cowell's record label, Syco. "It's absolutely great to be working with Syco on a label. This is something I've wanted to do for some time, and to be given the opportunity to potentially give new artists a platform is an incredible feeling," he said of his new passion project. Of course, all the boys do their own things when they're not doing 1D stuff, but in the past, I've always felt confident that they were just that — side projects. Now, with everything that's gone down with 1D, and the timing of this announcement, I can't help but wonder if the boys are starting to get their ducks in a row for when they do decide to go their separate ways.

4. Harry Styles is constantly in L.A...

While the other boys often spend their time off in the UK, Harry usually chooses to stay in the U.S., spending his free time in Hollywood. While I don't think this means anything about the boys' friendships (come on, they'll always be lads), it does make me think that there's something in Hollywood that Harry is yearning to pursue. Could it actually be true that he's interested in acting (I still think the boys' acting stint on iCarly way back when was really good). Or maybe he's just building his ever-expanding songwriter's portfolio with big-name Hollywood writers? Or maybe he's working on a fashion line?

One Direction Filming iCarly in 2012

5. All five boys have very different tastes in music.

Everyone knows that Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn all have very different tastes in music and meshing those five different voices and sounds together gave One Direction its epic, unique sound we know and love. But in the end, we could understand if all the boys wished they could create more music that appealed solely to them. Liam would probs love to sing more soulful pop jams like Justin Timberlake and Harry would love to go totally rock. But they can't each go in their own directions musically if they have to go in one direction as a group (that was corny and pun-ny, but no less true). And now, if Zayn does drop an album, it'll prob be completely RnB, and I wouldn't blame the other boys if they felt a little envious of Zayn being able to concentrate on his fave style of music completely, no matter how much they love being a group.

6. One Direction really can't last forever... *tear*

As much as the young, naive Directioner in me would love to think that One Direction will last forever, boy bands, and musical groups in general, lasting forever is beyond rare. Zayn has already left the band and that, on top of these other factors, are often what lead to bands finally deciding once and for all that it's time to go their separate ways. Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn have had the pleasure of traveling around the world and gracing us with their glorious talent as a group for nearly five years now, but in the end, they are all super talented ~individuals~, and it would be naive to think the boys are going to spend the rest of their lives in One Direction recording an album a year and spending 75% of their lives on tour. And honestly, I don't want that life for them.

I've basically started to prepare myself for that day, two years from now when their six-album contract with Sony is up, when the boys will announce that they've decided to go their separate ways (because "break up" sounds so terrible) and maybe get a chance to shine as solo acts. I'm trying really hard to be okay with it and not be bitter — because what matters most in the end is that the boys can remain the amazing brothers they've become over the past five years, and they won't be able to do that if they're feeling stifled and trapped in their current positions.

Because what matters most in the end is that the boys remain the amazing brothers they've become.

I'd be more than happy to be proven wrong and discover I'm just going through reverse-denial (if that's a thing). Actually, 1D, please prove me wrong.


But for now, I'm going to enjoy what time there is left with One Direction, in their current Zayn-less form (*more tears*), because I know Liam wasn't lying when he said that they have way more amazingness to come. But I'll also accept that in a year or two, 1D very well could call it a day on their journey as a band. And that's kind of okay with me at this point, as long as they agree to a reunion concert every 5 years...

What do you think? Are the boys going to break up soon, or am I just overanalyzing 1D's every move? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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