One Direction ‘Split' Is Official

And so it is official. One of the worst kept secrets in show business has been confirmed over the past 24 hours with the news that One Direction are splitting up. Or rather taking a hiatus, during which the four members of the hugely successful pop group can pursue solo projects.
That this was coming was almost inevitable. In March 2015, Zayn Malik decided that he had had enough and left the band, stating that he just wanted to be a normal 22 year-old. it was a sentiment that must have resonated powerfully with the rest of the band.
The obvious thing for them to do in the immediate aftermath of Malik’s sudden departure was to dismiss it as unimportant and keep going – which is more or less what they did. Except that what was bugging Malik was probably bugging the hell out of the other members of the bands as well. They had been on the treadmill for five years. And it is a treadmill. Individually and collectively, they were worn out.
The band’s current tour will go ahead: there is at least one final, big, payday in One Direction for everyone involved. And they have left wide open the possibility that they will all want to jump aboard the gravy train again, saying officially that they will get back together after the hiatus period. After all, Take That and Boyzone have done it – and survived to tell the tale with considerably larger bank balances for their troubles.
But the ultimate outcome is likely to depend to a huge extent on just how well those promised ‘solo projects’ work out. The wisdom in the industry is that Harry Styles is a dead cert for solo success. Niall Horan too, will be chomping at the bit, believing that he has the musical chops to make an impression – a view that has been endorsed today by Ireland’s most successful pop manager ever, Louis Walsh. Irish fans in particular will be anxious to see him thrive. And might there be a ‘sleeper’ between Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson? There might indeed.
There have, of course, been notable post-boyband success stories in the past, with Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake and Ronan Keating among those who have crossed over to achieve fully-fledged adult pop success. And similarly Beyoncé Knowles went supernova, putting on the afterburners in solo mode, following her initial success with Destiny’s Child. But, equally, there have been disastrous failures too, emphasising that there are no guarantees in the pop business...
For now, however, for One Direction fans, there is that first ‘last' hurrah to savour. The band play 3 Arena in Dublin on October 16, 17 and 18 – followed by three dates at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on October 20, 21 and 22. All of the dates are currently sold out. The somewhat lethargically titled On The Road Again tour ends with three nights in Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena, on October 29, 30 and 31. And that’s it...
For now, there is the possibility that the wicked witches of Hallowe’en have had the final say. Will One Direction turn into a pumpkin? As the Manchester United manager, Louis Van Gaal might say, we shall see. If bank balances start to run low, then the near certainty is that they will be back. But if one of the troupe scores big as a solo artist, then the planned reformation of One Direction may be a long time coming...