We’ve all heard the news that former One Direction member, Harry Styles, is dropping the first single from his upcoming highly anticipated 4th album, 'Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally'.

The song, ‘Aperture’, is set to drop at midnight UK time (1 pm NZ Time) this Friday, the 23rd of January. Fans are over the moon!

“Oh, we are so back”, one said. “World is healing,” said another. 

Harry stans can’t wait to hear his voice for the first time in four years on a fresh track. But he isn’t the only One Direction alumni to be dropping some fresh music this Friday… 

Louis Tomlinson has his third studio album, 'How Did I Get Here?', releasing on the same day, at the same time! Oh boy. 

Louis announced his album release date in September 2025, with the release of his single 'Lemonade' (underrated track btw, it’s a vibe!). 

“Man, I’d be kinda pissed if I were Louis…his single is for sure going to be overshadowed by Harry’s”, said one Reddit user. 

“Harry and Liam did the same thing on December 6 2019”, said another

“I’m sure Louis is thrilled that on the day his album drops, most people will be focused on a song by his ex-bandmate.”

I'm calling it now, this is the 'Barbenheimer of music for 2026. Is it a coincidence? A clever marketing strategy from the record labels? Or something else entirely? Here are just some of the fan theories floating around about this news.

The 'Larry Stylinson' theory 

'Larry Stylinson' is the long-standing conspiracy theory that Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson were once in a secret, decades-long romantic relationship that was forced underground by the homophobic industry "closeting" in the early 2010s. Though many fans strongly oppose the rumour nowadays, it’s very much dismissed when brought up in online threads.

However, some devotees say this music release double-up only strengthens the theory, citing the 'Aperture'  vs. 'Imposter' Lore.

Harry’s lead single is called ‘Aperture’ and is released on January 23rd, and Louis’ is called ‘Imposter,’ which was released today, January 20th.

The 'Larry' stans are pointing to the titles as a 'dual narrative' of sorts. The theory is that 'Aperture' represents finally seeing the full picture or coming into focus, while 'Imposter' reflects the struggle of living a double life or 'closeting' in the industry. The fact that Louis’ single drops just three days before Harry’s has fans convinced they are "bookending" the week together.

Synchronised announcements

Both artists dropped their music news on January 15th, and eagle-eyed fans noticed a cryptic countdown clock on Harry’s new site, webelongtogether.co. When the clock hit 5 PM UK time, the hands aligned with the word "DISCO", which was the same time Louis updated his socials.

The One Direction Tribute 

January 2026 just so happens to mark exactly 10 years since One Direction officially went on hiatus. People are already calling 2026 "the new 2016," and these “Larry” stans are convinced that a "10-year contract" or "gag order" has finally been lifted, allowing Harry and Louis to release music in sync for the first time as solo artists.

If you ask me, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that Harry’s single will outshine Louis' album release, unfortunately. While Louis has his big and dedicated fanbase, Harry seems to have not just his core fans, but the entire world, in a chokehold. 

Louis actually just talked about Harry’s success in a recent interview with Billboard. 

“I always knew Harry was going to go on to do what he’s done," he said. 

"I’m sure he’s superseded his own expectations in the way that he’s taken over the world, but we knew he had everything it takes to be a great artist." 

Given this recent praise, maybe we'll see the two former bandmates helping to promote eachother's work with a public pat on the back? Regardless,  I’m excited to see these former bandmates releasing music in their own styles (no pun intended) for the masses to enjoy. Bring on Friday!

Note: As I’m writing this, I just saw Niall Horan announce a new song alongside Myles Smith! Sadly, it isn’t dropping on Friday. Which is probably for the best, I don’t know how former and current Directioners would handle three former members dropping music all on the same day.