What would you buy if you were a megarich boyband member in a megarich boyband? Would you buy:
i. Enough cool stuff to get supermodels to come over to your house to swim in your pool?
ii. An infinite number of denim jackets and Porsches?
iii. ANOTHER BOYBAND?
Because if you answered iii., congratulations: you are a member of One Direction. Because as Billboard reveals, the boyband — that’s One Direction — have a monetary tie to the other boyband, 5 Seconds Of Summer. Basically each member of One Direction holds a stake in 5 Seconds Of Summer. Here’s a mid-‘90s analogy, to put it in context: imagine if Spice Girls bought All Saints, then made them do Geri’s drycleaning and whatever.
Like that. Earlier in the year it was rumoured that Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and that other one each owned a share in the company 5SOS LLP.
And after a thorough investigation, Billboard now claims the listed partners for the company are bandmembers Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings and Modest Management’s Will Bloomfield and Richard Griffiths.
Putting the dots together end-of-The-Usual-Suspects style, Modest Management manage both 5SOS and 1D — and so 1D have a stake in 5SOS through their management company. MONEY IS CONFUSING.
Anyway, the two bands recently completed a global tour together, and 1D frequently tweet their praise for 5SOS — so they are supportive sugar daddies, at least. We’re penciling in a ‘Louis went bankrupt buying football clubs’ joint McBusted-style tour for the two bands for 2024, in case you have a calendar that goes that far forward.