Brunette Niall Horan Has Risen — или Has He? 

WHAT is happening underneath this baseball cap?!?!

Gather ‘round, One Direction fans, and bow your heads in reverence, for the time has come: Blessed blonde cherub Niall Horan is once again brunette.

Let’s break this down: We’re not even a full month into 1D’s hiatus and fans are already struggling from the inadequate daily supply of band-related news. It’s getting harder and harder to keep tabs on the guys as they (separately!!!) do things like cover their tattoos and chill with Juicy J and whoevenknowswhat. So you better believe that, when one of them is spotted in a public place, fellow fans on the scene will keep everyone abreast of any recent developments and alterations they may detect.

Such was the case on Monday (Jan. 11), when Niall touched down at Los Angeles International Airport, looking all ~dark and dangerous~ in head-to-toe black. This in itself wasn’t enough to instigate a Twitter-wide alarm, but you know what was? Squint closely at the pic below and you’ll see that, underneath that black baseball cap, brown hairs appear to be sprouting out.

That’s right: It appears Brunette Niall Horan has risen. And fans appropriately freaked the f—k out, like so:

IF BRUNETTE NIALL IS RISING UNDER THAT CAP BEST BELIEVE IM DEAD pic.twitter.com/ABclrvaN7Y

brunette niall is slowly rising…so is my heart rate pic.twitter.com/iDiFaGW29s

brunette Niall is so close to rising y'all I can feel it in between my thighs

When brunette Niall starts to arrive, and you weren't prepared: #OneDBestFans2016 pic.twitter.com/UD5PC7f7Wq

brunette niall is upon us everyone take a moment please pic.twitter.com/8li55dlMVm

IVE BEEN A BRUNETTE NIALL STAN SINCE 1809

Of course, this isn’t a total, out-of-nowhere move on Niall’s part. Prior to One Direction’s hiatus, the 22-year-old hinted that a fresh dye job may be on his agenda.

“I did think about [dyeing] my hair brown so I won’t get [recognized], but I genuinely believe that if I’m on my own with my mates from home, no one will give me a second look,” he told

Niall Is Going Brunette And Louis Is Getting A ‘Big Belly’ During One Direction’s Break

The only problem here? Some fans have pumped the brakes on this whole Rising, saying it’s too early to tell if Niall’s indeed all brunette under his cap. And they’ve certainly got a point: We may need to wait this one out a little longer before calling it definitively.

In any case, we can only hope that Niall will keep us in the loop about his style plans from here on out. He did, after all, assure fans last week that he’s still around and kickin’, despite a quieter social media presence as of late.

Hey guys just to let ya know , I'm still here don't worry. Just keeping my head down and enjoying the break , hope you understand . Love you

— Niall Horan (@NiallOfficial) January 7, 2016

Good to know, N. And you can hit us up anytime if you need to strategize this hair transformation any further. We’ve already done the Photoshop work, after all.

Imagining A World Where Niall Horan’s Hair Isn’t Blond