One Direction to split for 'at least a year to focus on solo projects'

One Direction are splitting up. Different directions: Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are set to go their separate ways next year New release: The band only released the video for Drag Me Down on Friday and two days later the split was revealed A representative for One Direction had no comment when contacted by MailOnline. Five years: The group have been together for five years since being put together by Simon Cowell on The X Factor Story of their lives: A timeline of One Direction Fresh faced: One Direction were formed on X Factor in 2015 Summer 2010 Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik faudition for the seventh series of The X Factor. It's all over: The group are taking an extended break after five years together November 2014 One Direction release their fourth studio album, aptly titled Four Zayn finds himself at the centre of a row when he failed to join his bandmates in the US to promote their fourth album Four, prompting Today show's Matt Lauer to ask if it was related to drugs. How it all began: One Direction found fame on the UK X Factor in 2010 when Simon Cowell put the five solo singers together to form a boyband All the way to the final: The group quickly bonded and won over fans and the judges alike to make it all the way to the final Success: The group came third in X Factor but went on to take over the world with their music Popstars!