It’s been a bumpy year for everyone’s favorite luxuriously coiffed boy band. But the boys seemed to take the turbulence in stride whether it be surprise paternity for Louis Tomlinson, a cheeky parody video from Amy Schumer, or, most shockingly, the departure of band member Zayn Malik. But after handling all that drama with ease (and an intergalactic music video!), the remaining members of One Direction are in need of a break. And, according to People, they’re taking a lengthy one.
Starting in March, the magazine reports, current One Direction members Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Niall Horan will take at least a year off from the band to pursue their own projects. Will the breakup be more permanent than that? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see. As it stands now, there will be no tour for the group’s fifth album, which will be coming out later this year.
While this may be devastating news to Directioners the world over, there’s always a bright side to be found. The first example of Zayn Malik’s post–One Direction work, the Naughty Boy collaboration “I Won’t Mind,” demonstrated a real depth of talent. In the best of all possible worlds, we’re losing one super-group and gaining five talented individual artists.
