After teasing followers on social media, Hailee Steinfeld has released her new single. The song is called “Wrong Direction” and fans are convinced that the entire heartbreaking ballad is about her relationship with Niall Horan. The songstress and Pitch Perfect star dropped the song on Wednesday, January 1, and fans have had it on repeat ever since.
Based on the lyrics, the song seems to be about a tumultuous past relationship. Hailee seemingly calls out an ex-boyfriend — rumored to be the “Flicker” singer — for cheating on her. In the song, she sings about how she was mistaken when thinking that their love was perfect.
“Lookin’ back, I probably should have known / But I just wanted to believe that you were out sleepin’ alone / Loved me with your worst intentions / Didn’t even stop to question,” the lyrics read. “Every time you burned me down / Don’t know how; for a moment it felt like heaven / Loved me with your worst intentions / Painted us a happy ending.”
Fans were quick to react to the song’s heartfelt lyrics and continued to speculate that the track is connected to Niall.
“Hailee Steinfeld is really coming for Niall and we’re not even 30 minutes into 2020,” one fan wrote on Twitter. Another added, “[Ten] years after One Direction started, iconic movie star/platinum streaming artist Hailee Steinfeld releases her lead single for her 2020 album, called ‘Wrong Direction’ after breaking up with 1D member Niall Horan. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.”
Although she’s yet to confirm who the track is about, rumors quickly started spreading that the song was inspired by her breakup with the “Slow Hands” crooner just after she announced the song’s title. Why? Well, since he was in a band called One Direction, the title of the song (get it — “Wrong Direction?”) caught everyone’s attention.
For those who forgot, the two stars got close when they both performed on the Jingle Ball Tour in 2017. They first sparked dating rumors in February 2018 when they were caught getting pretty cozy at a Backstreet Boys concert and tried to keep things on the down-low. A few months later, the Dickinson star and the singer were spotted together in the Bahamas in April and Niall even flew all the way to NYC to see the actress in July. They finally confirmed their love when they were caught kissing in Disneyland that August.
In December 2018, fans were shocked when news hit the web that they had reportedly gone their separate ways.
“Hailee and Niall were going strong over the summer but split a few months ago and have been trying to keep it low-key,” a source told E! News. “Hailee realized she had a lot on her plate and her work schedule was insanely busy. She was gearing up for a huge press tour for her new movie. They really tried to make it work. It definitely was ‘young love.’”
And it definitely seemed like it didn’t end well. Hailee seemingly shaded the singer multiple times on her Instagram Stories after their breakup, and she even allegedly called him a narcissist!
Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.