The announcement of One Direction on the band's decision to go on hiatus has been a tough pill to swallow for their fans. With some of their followers still not yet over the departure of Zayn Malik, the move of Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne to take a break did not sit well with the public. However, the One Direction boys earnestly reassured their fans that they will be back. That is, the hiatus is not indicative of a potential breakup for the boys. Rather, the 1D members simply want a break from all the media circus.
"This is just a massive, massive thank you to all of our fans," shared Payne in a video posted by the 1D boys via social media. He added, "Obviously you guys made all of this happen for us, and we can't believe the way that you've supported us over the last five years. Today's a very special day for us because this is like the last part of our first chapter."
To cap off their five-year run as one of the most successful boy bands in the world, One Direction performed in the X-Factor.
"Well, this takes me back five years ago when I met five guys, singing as solo artists, and then I never could have predicted what happened next," shared Simon Cowell, according to Billboard. The X-Factor judge added, "And I know you're gonna take a break, you deserve the break. I want to really just take the chance now to say thank you. You've been an absolute pleasure to work with. Five of the nicest guys I ever met. Enjoy the time off. Have a fantastic time."
Garnering millions of followers across the globe, the One Direction boys have once been compared to the Beatles. In fact, some fans even went as far as comparing Malik's ex fiancee, Little Mix singer Perry Edwards, to the then wife of John Lennon, Yoko Ono. At the moment, Malik is rumored to be dating one of Taylor Swift's friends, Victoria Secret model Gigi Hadid. Prior to dating the ex One Direction member, Hadid briefly dated Joe Jonas.
As for the Tomlinson, it has been widely reported that he and makeup artist Briana Jungwirth are expecting a baby soon. However, his impending fatherhood seems to not deter him from taking advantage of the break to write songs. In fact, Tomlinson shared that he might be collaborating with Payne during the hiatus.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tomlinson shared that he would "do some writing" while on break. He also added, "I enjoy that, with Liam. But it's all kind of up in the air at the moment. We definitely will. I'm sure we will."
"I think we deserve a little break," the soon-to-be-dad commented further. Tomlinson shared, "In reality, it's going to be an exciting time for all of us to do our own thing and it's actually very exciting for each other, you know? It's going to be exciting for us as individuals to see what we each end up doing. And I'm of course going to be very supportive of that and that's the idea that's pretty exciting, as well."
As for Styles, he still has not provided any concrete plan for his activities during the hiatus. However, rumors on his possible Hollywood projects or fashion-related stints have been rife as of late. Meanwhile, Horan could be busy with his love life during the break. As widely speculated, Horan is said to be dating Selena Gomez. Some sources even claim that the said rumors are making their way to the former Disney star's ex, Justin Bieber, who appears to be still hopeful on a reconciliation between him and Gomez. With the break, it looks like Horan could focus on keeping away Bieber from Gomez - that is, if the rumors are true.
A message from One Direction to all of you! https://t.co/voO2LOnC0G "” One Direction (@onedirection) December 13, 2015
