One Direction all choosing to go in another direction

LONDON: One Direction are to split up, it has been reported.

The boy band’s members – Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan, 21 – are to take a year away from the band from next March to pursue solo projects. The decision was made over the weekend, according to The Sun.

One Direction were formed by Simon Cowell when the members auditioned separately for The X Factor in 2010. They have gone on to sell more than 50 million records and have achieved more than 90 No 1 singles across the globe.

Last year they sold more music than any artist in the world, except Taylor Swift, and have each made a £25 million (R520m) fortune.

The news comes just five months after Zayn Malik left the band. He said at the time that he wanted to be a “normal 22-year-old”. Sources said Malik’s departure was not the reason for the split.

It marks the end of a difficult period for the band. After Malik left, Tomlinson announced he is to become a father with former girlfriend Briana Jungwirth.

And video obtained by Mail Online in May last year showed Malik and Tomlinson allegedly smoking marijuana in Peru. The pair apologised to fans.

The split means the group will not tour to promote their upcoming fifth album. Their last full concert will be at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on October 31. A source told The Sun: “The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boy band.

“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 percent behind the decision. It is definitely not a split and they 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 band have a hugely devoted following on social media, mainly teenage girls, who have been nicknamed “directioners”. There were concerns for the wellbeing of some fans after they posted pictures online of themselves self-harming following Malik’s departure.

Styles, 21, is considering acting, while Horan, 21, is said to want to release his own music. Payne, 21, will likely focus on his DJ career, and Tomlinson, 23, is reportedly setting up his own record company.