One Direction ‘to go separate ways’ next year

LONDON | British pop phenomenon One Direction are to take an indefinite break from next year, according to a media report Monday which has left fans devastated.

The four-piece boy band will separate for at least a year from March to pursue solo projects, according to The Sun newspaper, citing a “1D source”.

The band, who enjoy a massive global teenage following, did not comment when contacted by AFP and have not commented on the tabloid report on their various Twitter accounts.

“The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boy band,” said The Sun’s source.

“They fully deserve to have at least a year to work on their own projects. There is absolutely no bad blood between them and they are all 100 percent behind the decision.

“It is definitely not a split and they fully intend to get back together at some time in the future.”

They are due to release their fifth album before Christmas, and fulfil promotional commitments by the end of February, the report said.

There will be no tour for the new album.

The band’s last scheduled concerts are at the Sheffield Arena in northern England on October 29, 30, 31.

They are currently touring North America and are due to perform in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Put together for a British television singing contest in 2010, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson swiftly developed a giant, fiercely loyal following of young girls worldwide.

The chart-toppers have sold more than 50 million records around the globe.

Malik quit the band in March, shortly after being signed off with stress.

“I am leaving because I want to be a normal 22-year-old who is able to relax and have some private time out of the spotlight,” he said at the time.

The Sun’s report said the split would have happened regardless of Malik’s departure.

The Sunday Times newspaper’s Rich List 2015 reckoned the band members were worth £25 million each.

source: interaksyon.com

Life after Zayn

MANILA, Philippines - Right now, you probably already know what went down in the wee hours of March 26, Thursday morning. Zayn Malik, Bradford bad boy and token diva of One Direction, left the boyband for good so he could focus on fixing his private life. His announcement was made exactly a week after he walked out in the middle of the Southeast Asian leg of their world tour. To the fans of the boys, and fans of bands in general, losing a member is monumental. Think of the Beatles sans John Lennon or the Spice Girls minus Geri Halliwell — history’s shown that sudden departures can end a band’s successful run. Will 1D meet the same fate?

In the case of N*Sync, where the brunt of the vocals was primarily juggled by Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, the option of continuing as a band was rather unlikely. Justin’s voice was distinctive and carried most of their tracks to their climax. Without him, it would’ve just been JC and three backup dancers. In 1D, the distribution of parts is more or less equal and interchangeable. If you take Zayn out of the equation, the other four boys (Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson) would be there to pick up his slack. The concerts last weekend proved they could manage just fine without him. Although the remaining quartet couldn’t exactly hit all the otherworldly notes Zayn had set for them (let’s face it, the boy was vocally blessed with a golden falsetto), they were still able to deliver respectable and enjoyable performances.

In terms of songwriting, Zayn’s a lightweight. He only managed to co-write 10 of the band’s 73 songs. That’s meager compared to Liam’s 27 and Louis’s 30. There have been rumors that Zayn’s original compositions were not good enough to make the final cut of their latest album, “Four,” spurring him to collaborate with outside producers like Naughty Boy. Whether this is true or not, we’ll see its fruits in the future. But for now, it’s safe to say that the rest of the 1D boys have nothing to worry about regarding songwriting. After all, they still have a company-provided team of songsmiths to help them out.

#ALWAYSINOURHEARTSZAYNMALIK 

Thursday’s Twitter trends were full of hashtags and lamentations dedicated to Zayn’s abrupt goodbye. Fans begged him to come back. Others sent their best wishes. The rumor mill spun like mad. It’s undeniable how Zayn was adored. The boy brought something different to the plate. He was simple and meek. He was of color and of a different religion. He opened up the band to audiences who wouldn’t have normally taken notice of a generic bunch of singing white boys.

For many fans, Zayn was the sole reason they even joined the fandom. With his long lashes, chiseled features, and insane vocals, he lured them into the craziness that is One Direction only to leave them behind when the times got tough. To see him go like that must have felt like betrayal. Nothing made this more evident than the fan reaction to the news that he would be M.I.A. for the Manila shows. Friends of mine threatened to sell their tickets. Some opted for downgrades. And yet, come concert day, all of them still showed up with their original tickets in hand because despite all the pre-concert drama, there was still a chance of Zayn’s triumphant return once he got things sorted out. It was a possibility that never came to pass. Zayn is gone.



A couple of friends and I were lucky enough to see him perform in Singapore, one of his final shows with the whole band. His ad-libs were inhuman, and they left me and everyone in the stadium floored. He had a few good laughs with the boys onstage, but for the most part, his eyes were glazed over, staring into oblivion. I didn’t notice it at that time, but he was probably mulling over his next steps. Two shows later, in Bangkok, he took his final bow. “Thank you,” he said, “We have been One Direction!” And that was that.

Boybands have a limited shelf life, and 1D is nearing its expiration date. It’s only a matter of time before their fans find other acts to gush about, but until then, they still have a tour to finish and an album to release. Life for the boys after Zayn will be different, definitely. It will be new. It will be a gamble. Fans, like myself, can only hope it’ll pay off. It would be sad to see them just fade away.

source: philstar.com

Taylor Swift and One Direction's Harry Styles: Are They Dating?

Taylor Swift appears to be taking her love life in a new direction.

The "Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer is seemingly taking her lyrics to heart as she moves on from recent ex, Conor Kennedy, and enjoys the company of One Direction hottie Harry Styles.

"I had to literally do a double-take," an onlooker tells PEOPLE of finding Styles, 18, with Swift, 22, on the set of The X Factor Thursday morning.

Styles was on hand to watch Swift rehearse the debut of "State of Grace," which she performed later that night on the Fox reality show.

"He was smiling at her while she rehearsed. When she was done he jumped up on stage, picked her up, put her over his shoulder and carried her off stage," the onlooker says. "The whole crew was really surprised."

The young singers were also spotted by X Factor host Mario Lopez, who says he was slapped on the back by Styles during Swift's rehearsal.

"I said, 'What are you doing here,' " Lopez said on his 104.3 MY FM radio show Friday. "And he sort of [pointed] toward Taylor."

Lopez went on to say he later saw the two "hand-in-hand."

A telling sign of the budding relationship may have been a look Styles shared with his bandmate Niall Horan a week earlier after Horan told PEOPLE his favorite song of 2012 was Swift's "Never Ever Getting Back Together."

When asked if he would ever date Swift, Horan gave a small laugh, looked at Styles and answered with a succinct, "no."

source: people.com

UK boy band One Direction big winner at MTV video awards

LOS ANGELES – British boy band One Direction were the big winners at the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday, edging out Rihanna and taking home three prizes to crown their arrival on the U.S. pop scene just six months ago.

The five baby-faced guys, contestants on the British version of TV singing contest “The X Factor,” beat Justin Bieber and Rihanna for best pop video, and fellow all-boy British outfit The Wanted as best new artists.

They also won the most-shareworthy video award – which was voted on by fans – for their debut hit single “What Makes You Beautiful” and later performed their latest release “One Thing” to hordes of screaming girls at the two-hour Los Angeles ceremony.

“To win one Moonman is amazing, to win two is incredible,” said Harry Styles, as the band collected the silver VMA trophy for best new artists.

“Thank you so much! We have grown up watching this show and to collect one of these straight away is incredible,” said a jubilant Niall Horan.

One Direction, which is managed by British TV entrepreneur Simon Cowell, made history in March when it became the first UK group to see its first album, “Up All Night,” debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.

Rihanna, who went into the VMA’s sharing a leading five nominations with Canadian rapper Drake, came away with just one award.

But it was the most coveted award of the night – video of the year – and the Barbados-born superstar won it for her dizzying visual romp in hit single “We Found Love.”

“I love you guys! This is awesome,” Rihanna told her fans as she collected the Moonman trophy and showed off a new pixie hair cut.

In a hip-hop-heavy show, rapper Nicki Minaj won best female video for “Starships,” while Chris Brown won two awards – best male video and best choreography for “Turn Up the Music.”

Drake also came away with just one win, for his hip-hop video “HYFR,” which celebrates his Jewish heritage. “I want to dedicate this award to any kid who has had a long walk home,” Drake said.

The VMA’s have become known as one of the more unpredictable and controversial award shows, but Thursday’s ceremony had none of the jaw-dropping moments – like the steamy 2003 Madonna/Britney Spears kiss – that have marked previous years.

This year, U.S. Olympic gymnastics champion Gabby Ross, 16, back-flipped and leapt across the stage while Alicia Keys sang her new single “Girl On Fire.” Ross and her four fellow team-mates also introduced Keys.

Punk rocker Billie Joe Armstrong seemed fully recovered from a weekend dehydration episode that forced Green Day to cancel a performance in Italy, and he was mobbed on Thursday while singing after inviting fans to come up on stage.

Lil Wayne gave the first televised performance of his new single “No Worries,” and Frank Ocean, who made headlines in July by coming out as a rare gay hip-hop artist, performed an emotional version of “Thinkin Bout You.”

Calvin Harris was the winner of the VMA’s first award in the increasingly popular electronic dance music category for “Feel So Close.”

Country-pop crossover singer Taylor Swift closed the show with her best-selling single “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and other performers included Pink, Minaj, and Rihanna.

source: interaksyon.com

One Direction's Harry Styles Takes A Joy Ride In His New Ferrari (PHOTOS)

While I spent my first job's paycheck to help pay off an '88 Ford Escort my grandma sold me (true story), One Direction's Harry Styles uses his first job's MILLION dollar net-worth to purchase a sleek Ferrari. (FYI: That's a $195,000 price tag -- PAH-LEASE, chump change!) But you know what they say about bros who feel the need to purchase super-expensive cars: you should probably date 'em.




The "What Makes You Beautiful" singer was snapped rolling in his new wheels through Beverly Hills (We're pretty sure his flawless hair was made to blow in the wind from a convertible, BTW), looking like an effing boss. It looks like car collecting might officially be Harry's VERY expensive hobby (he recently bought a FOINE-looking Audi, too). But if anyone can afford it, it's One Direction. The guys' "Up All Night" DVD sales are through the roof, a potential counter-lawsuit win might be in their future, and the boys' half-eaten toast can go for $100K. So, there's really no reason they should be toting themselves around town in something like a Ford Fiesta. That reminds me: I have to put gas in my Ford Fiesta.

source: mtv