One Direction recently revealed that their fifth album is nearly ready to be released, but the Sun is now reporting that the band have made a mutual decision to split up “for at least a year” to pursue solo projects from next March, meaning that they will not be touring to support the album. Yes, it is the unmistakable sound of billion young hearts breaking that you can hear.
According to the British newspaper, a 1D source said, “The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boyband. They fully deserve to have at least a year to work on their own projects. There is absolutely no bad blood between them and they are all 100 per cent behind the decision.”
The source also claimed that Zayn Malik‘s high-profile split from the band in March this year had nothing to do with the decision, saying “This was the plan with or without Zayn. In fact, the band have been making amazing music and [have] been incredibly happy without Zayn.”
The break-up is described as a hiatus rather than a complete split, and the source says that Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall, “fully intend to get back together at some time in the future… But for now it is the end and they go out on top as the world’s most popular music act.” The album is supposedly scheduled for release in time for the “lucrative Christmas market”.
Speaking about the band members’ prospects, the source says, “Sony definitely want to secure a solo record from Harry. He has been building up to this moment for a long time and there is also a lot of interest in him from Hollywood. But they’re all going to be successful in their own right. They have the best contacts and a massive fan base,” adding that, “Louis is very much in contention to be a judge on X Factor next year.”
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Photography Sara Hiscoe