One Direction 'not working on solo albums' during hiatus

Updated

One Direction denied that they will be releasing solo albums after the band go on an "extended hiatus" from March 2016.

Speaking to Steve Wright on his BBC Radio 2 show, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne individually replied "No" when asked by the host, "Is everyone doing a solo album?"

Styles's representatives were forced to deny he was working on a solo album in June this year but this is the first time the singer has personally rejected the claim.

The band announced they would be taking a "break" in August and Payne accidentally revealed on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on Thursday that the hiatus could last two years.

Asked by Wright how their hiatus will work, Tomlinson remained quiet about the length of their break, but said: "I think we all just want some breathing space for now and the idea of that is pretty exciting, not to have any specific schedule or plans."

"We just felt that we needed a bit of time out for ourselves and to see our families and stuff we've missed out on over the years when we've been doing the band," Payne added.

The band released their fifth album, Made In The AM, on Friday and it is their first without former member Zayn Malik who left the band in March this year and has since signed a solo recording contract with RCA Records.

Styles said the album is "definitely the album we feel most proud of", but admitted: "It's a nervous time any time you put any of yourself out there."

Payne agreed and said: "Leaving with this album, we're leaving on a little bit of a high."

The foursome also admitted they had been "naive" about how exhausting their schedule would be after rising to fame.

Payne revealed that he had told this year's X Factor contestants that life as a real pop star was like the show "on steroids".

Asked if the band had been naive about how hard they would have to work, he admitted: "Yeah, it's crazy. You don't realise how busy because all you see is the glamorous side of it, the things you see from the outset, but then (there is) all the rest of it that is with it as well."

Payne said the first plan for their break would be a "lads' holiday" and confirmed that the band plan to ready themselves for a new album on their return.

"We want to do some writing together when we're off," he said.

Advertisement