With the conclusion of the televised portion of the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, the winners not aired live have been announced online. One Direction fans were happy to find out that Harry, Louis, Niall, and Liam took home Top Duo/Group and also, in addition to winning that category, the boys also broke a Billboard Music Awards Record.
Earlier this year we told you that if One Direction took home the award for Top Duo/Group that it would be their third win in that specific category – the exciting part about that was that they’d be the only group to win that category more than twice in BBMA history. One Direction and Destiny’s Child were tied with two wins each until the 2016 awards and with One Direction’s win on May 22nd, the record has been broken and Liam, Niall, Louis, and Harry have again proven that they are an unstoppable force in music not only today but forever.
During One Direction’s hiatus, there have been questions posed about their return – some sources have said that the boys have never truly intended to return to their fans while others say the boys are enjoying their new found freedom and their previous plans to reunite have changed. What these sources lack, besides a reputable history, is the knowledge and the history with the boys that One Direction fans have.
If you’ve never stood in an arena or a stadium with Louis, Harry, Liam, and Niall on stage – you’ve never truly experienced their passion for performing together. If you’ve never heard the boys on stage singing their hearts out during lyrics like “with your love nobody can drag me down” and “this is not the end, this is not the end, we can make it – you know it, you know” then you don’t understand the connection they have with their fans. If you’ve never sat and watched the boys promise that they’d be back, with a bit of sadness in their eyes but hope too (that the fans would understand why they needed to take a break) then you couldn’t possibly know how deeply the fans trust their idols.
Luckily for the boys, their fans do understand, they do trust, and they anticipate the day when the boys announce their return to the stage, the studio, and the hearts of millions all across the world.
Fans of One Direction are definitely missing the boys, it’s the first year since they were put together that there aren’t concerts to buy tickets for, countdowns until road trips with best friends, and plane tickets and hotel rooms booked in other countries because seeing them once (or three times) just isn’t enough. It’s a time of change for fans, of some sadness, but also a time of understanding – the people who look up to Niall, Liam, Louis, and Harry want to see them on stage, but they’d rather see them take time off (as much as they need) and come back rested and happy than to work themselves to a point of further exhaustion.
The Billboard Music Awards tonight didn’t only stand as another win, in a long line of many, for One Direction – the awards stood as a moment that cemented their contribution to music, to breaking records, and to their incredible staying power.
As fans took to social media congratulating Liam, Niall, Harry, and Louis they also tweeted about how much the boys mean to them, how proud they are of another record broken, and how much they support the boys who have given them happiness, hope, and home.
Congratulations lads, on this win, and every single one that came before it, we can’t wait until you’re back, but until then – enjoy this – you’ve earned it.