Entertainment

Do 1D's Teasers Have Hidden Messages?

by Kadeen Griffiths

One Direction has been driving their fans crazy all week. Not in the usual way, where they mostly just kind of exist and tweens and tweens-at-heart everywhere feel the need to sob over how perfect they are. And not in the unusual way, where Harry Styles leaves a fan a voicemail message about grabbing coffee together. The countdown to the release of the music video for their next single is almost complete and the band has been building buzz by releasing a "You & I" teaser video to the One Direction Instagram every day this week.

Each of the five snapshots has contained a behind-the-scenes look at the music video, featuring one of the boys front and center, and a little line about their thoughts on the song. Speculation has been running wild on what the concept of the video is supposed to be exactly. The only things known for sure are that it's in black and white, it's by the beach, and there's a lot of walking in it. Not exactly very specific. If you pay close attention to the teasers, however, each one does manage to reveal at least one important thing about the band members themselves.

1. Zayn Malik is Fit for an Acting Career

On the fifth day, we were gifted with a small look at Zayn Malik. Malik alternates between smiling, laughing, brooding at the camera, and busting out a few dance moves. In less than thirty seconds, he basically manages to run through the entire gamut of human emotion. That's very impressive for the notoriously shy member of an internationally popular boy band. If he ever wanted to dip a toe into the acting world, he wouldn't be the first reclusive person to do so. Just ask Johnny Depp.

2. Niall Horan Can Do Brooding and Pensive

On the fourth day, we were visited by Niall Horan and his new bangs. It's not that we didn't know that Horan could communicate depth and angst with just a single look. I mean, we all watched the "Story of My Life" video. But considering what a happy and pleasant person he is in interviews and in life, it's always pretty jarring to remember that he can flick that switch when there's a camera on him and a video to be shot. Naturally, every second that doesn't seem to be pulled from the video features him laughing and smiling to compensate.

3. Louis Tomlinson's Hair is Starting to Rival Harry's...

On the third day, Louis Tomlinson took over. But, what's going on here? What's going to be left for Harry Styles if all the other members of the band start crowding in on his Best Hair title? It's unclear whether Louis Tomlinson is filming a music video or a Loreal commercial, but the wind is definitely doing great things to those silky locks in his teaser. How he managed to go the whole time without running his fingers through it is really a question for the ages. Maybe in the next One Direction movie, we'll get a scene of him and Styles fighting over the hairspray.

4. ...and Big Payno is Jealous

On the second day, Liam Payne began officially answering to the name "Big Payno". And if he's not, then he should be since his Big Payno remix of "You & I" is available for download. For someone who shaved off most of his hair and broke the hearts of his fan base back in 2012, his fingers sure spend a lot of time combing through the hair he's grown since. Tomlinson has a veritable lion's mane going on, but Payne's the one drawing all the attention to his hair in his teaser. Is he jealous or is he just showing off his new fauxhawk?

5. Harry Styles is Not to be Outdone

On the last day, Harry Styles proved why he has and will always have the Best Hair crown. It seems like he's having a lot of trouble trying to keep the wind from turning his hair into a complete mess and he cycles through many different looks to avoid it. There's his trademark bandana. Then there's the world's best half-ponytail. Then he just sticks it all under a ushanka hat. Oh, and he was saying something sweet and romantic about the video, but that's only because the half-ponytail basically secured his title. Sorry, guys.

The "You & I" music video debuts tomorrow, but One Direction doesn't have to worry. We've heard their real messages loud and clear.