do you know why I never believed, today more than ever, in the reconstruction of Louis's 1D break up? Without softening you on what I think is quite useless I invite you to reflect on the phrase that, at this historical moment, he added for the first time "hiatus was decided for the right reasons" Saving the ass to those who decided that. Now. To me this is very loud.
I’m thinking back to pre-hiatus MITAM-promo interviews where OT4 all said it was just a short break. I think it was Liam who estimated 18 months, and Louis “pinky promised.” But if my memory is right, Harry was more vague and quiet.
Since Rob Stringer started talking about a 3-album, $80-million deal for Harry in June 2016, its possible that in 2015, nothing had been set in stone for Harry yet, and Harry himself didn’t know the scale of what was to come.
This makes sense with Harry’s signing documents on the Yacht-from-hell, with Anne, Jeff, and Kendall Jenner present. It was all only starting.
Some of the hiatus discussion we’re seeing now may be colored by what has happened subsequently. What Sony/ HSHQ did with solo Harry— the attempt to switch 1D fans over to solo Harry and away from the others— probably left a bad taste in OT4’s mouths (I am including Zayn, who left earlier but has also been in Harry’s shadow).
Solo!Harry has made a hard turn away from One Direction, with a big media push to establish him as an extraordinary, iconic breakout star. Meanwhile, the other Sony strategy is to keep Louis talking about One Direction, to preserve the band and its fans (especially Louies who are notoriously loyal) as a viable brand.
