On Monday, August 24, One Direction announced that they will be going on hiatus next
year, but band member Nial Horan says that the band is not breaking up.
Horan addressed the rumors via Twitter, tweeting, “Ok so lots of rumors going around.
We are not splitting up, but we will be taking a well earned break at some point this year.”
X Factor judge Simon Cowell admitted that the split was “the world’s worst kept secret”
to Inquisitr. Cowell feared the impact that the news would have on young fans, but he says that
the boys just need a break.
Likewise, tweens are experiencing the different stages of boy band breakup grief,
including anger. Fans turned mad over a fake letter posted on comedy website Above Average.
The letter was published as if it were written by former Backstreet Boy Joey Fatone when it was
actually just a satire. The post compared One Direction to popular 90’s bands. The author stated
that the only member who would survive a solo career would be Harry Styles, much like Justin
Timberlake of N’Sync.
The memes that have erupted since the news of the hiatus have not helped the rumors
either, one of which features a photoshopped Styles holding a collection of Grammy awards.
Former band member Zayne Malik left One Direction back in March due to rumors over
cheating on his fiancée, Perrie Edwards and tension between band mates. With one member
down and a hiatus on the map, there is a question that lingers as to which direction the band will
Horan is still hopeful, though, telling People magazine, “We still have lots we want to
achieve.” But with five American Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four
Guinness World Records to their name, has the band reached its peak?
