One Direction fans could have their prayers answered in the coming months, as Liam Payne is reportedly "desperate" to get the band back together.
Days after the 29-year-old X Factor alumnus was seen laughing with former bandmate Louis Tomlinson at the premiere of his documentary, All Of Those Voices, a source has revealed that Liam wants nothing more than a reunion tour to relaunch his career.
"Liam is desperate to get back on the road with the boys," they explained. "His solo career hasn’t remained as successful as he hoped it would, and work has become stagnant for him.
"In contrast, he can see how well Harry is doing and he’d love that level of stardom for himself.
"He knows he’s somewhat fallen out of favour with the public, and believes the only way he’ll be able to win back his fans is with a One Direction reunion," the source added.
Liam shot to fame in 2010 when music mogul Simon Cowell brought him and Louis together with their X Factor co-contestants Zayn Malik, Harry Styles and Niall Horan to form One Direction.
But the singer hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year after making some rather wild comments about his former bandmates and his solo career on American YouTuber Logan Paul’s podcast.
After dishing dirt on Zayn’s past controversies – including his alleged assault of former girlfriend Gigi Hadid’s mother Yolanda – Liam claimed that the group had originally been formed around himself as the star, before stating that he’d "outsold everybody within the band" in a reference to his 2017 solo debut single Strip That Down.
But our source said that father-of-one Liam, who has a six-year-old son, Bear, with ex-girlfriend and former X Factor judge Cheryl Cole, has since seen the error of his ways, and knows he has some serious grovelling to do.
"Liam really regrets all the things he’s said about the boys in the past," they revealed. "He didn’t think he’d get the backlash he did and now he’s been left eating humble pie.
"He knows he shouldn’t have spoken about the band on the podcast last year and that the only way he’ll be able to bring them all together again is if he makes amends.
"That’s why he reached out to Louis.
"He’s been trying to get in touch with Harry and Niall about getting the band back together, but he’s worried he may have burnt his bridges with Zayn."
Last week, after his "trip down memory lane" with Louis, Liam said, "All the boys have been there for me. I’ve suffered a bit of a dark time in my life at the moment.
"Honestly, I wouldn’t be here without the boys."
And in a now-deleted Instagram post uploaded after the premiere of All Of Those Voices, Liam spoke of his mistakes and emphasised his hope that his ex-bandmates will one day be able to put the past behind them.
"Seeing the world through your eyes last night was the most beautiful thing to experience," he wrote of the documentary, which looks at Louis’ journey through the music industry.
"My neck hurts from how much I’m looking up to you right now. You were already my friend and brother but getting to look through that window into your world and mind just extends that respect I have for you. What you’ve dealt with and how you held it all inside!!
"I’m so sorry I was so out of my mind and I didn’t do better for you, I feel ashamed in those moments to not be as good of a friend as you have been to me, at least I have time now and I’m me again so will try and make amends."
During a chat with ITV talk-show host Lorraine Kelly in October last year, Louis, 31, spoke of a rekindling of their friendship.
"It would be a shame if we didn’t. I hope so," he said.
And last month, he revealed that he’d been "mortified" and "absolutely gutted" when 1D made the decision to have a hiatus eight years ago.
"I do miss the boys and I do definitely miss being one of the five," he confessed.
While admitting a reunion tour is "hard to imagine right now", the dad-of-one said he would be "up for it" in the future.
February also saw Liam make a move towards a reconciliation with Harry, 29, congratulating him on his domination of the 2023 Grammys.
In an Instagram post, he wrote, "Wow… this image is really something to wake up to and when you write music like you do Harry you deserve every millisecond of that moment looking down smiling at the trophy you’ve earned. God bless you brother congratulations."
Days later, Harry sent fans into a frenzy when he posted – and quickly deleted – a photo of himself wearing a 1D T-shirt.
At a gig shortly after, he said, "I guess some of us have secrets. Maybe, like some people, you want to keep something to yourself, and maybe one day you will accidentally post it to your Instagram Story."
During a recent appearance on US American daytime TV variety series The Kelly Clarkson Show, Irish singer Niall, 29, appeared to confirm that the band has something exciting in the pipeline.
Reminiscing about his days on the X Factor, he said he would love to "do it again" given the chance.
But Liam may have his work cut out persuading the group’s original departee Zayn to take part in a comeback tour. The 30-year-old broke up 1D in 2015 after signing a solo recording contract, citing a lack of room “for me to experiment creatively in the band”.
Since going solo, he has relentlessly slammed his ex-pals during interviews, describing their music as “generic as f**k” and becoming embroiled in a Twitter spat with "frenemy" Louis in 2015.
But in a nostalgic moment last August, he posted a 30-second black-and-white video of himself singing One Direction‘s 2014 single Night Changes to Instagram. Could this be a sign that he’s ready to move on?
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