The members of One Direction, the most popular boy band in the industry, are planning to split for a year to pursue their solo careers. Although a source close to the band has said that the boys are just going to disband temporarily, One Directioners are already in tears.

On Monday, it was reported that Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have decided to take an extended hiatus of at least a year after their fifth album is released. The Sun has reported that the boys will disband in March and will not tour their fifth album.

The four members reportedly made this decision at a meeting in London last weekend and has also confirmed that their final show will be at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield on 31 October.

"The guys have been together for five years, which is an incredible run for any boyband. 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 per cent behind the decision," the source said.

"It is definitely not a split and they fully intend to get back together at some time in the future. But for now it is the end and they go out on top as the world's most popular music act," the source confirmed.

And, Zayn Malik is definitely not the reason behind this call. "This was the plan with or without Zayn. In fact, the band has been making amazing music and been incredibly happy without Zayn," the source insisted.

But, it looks like all the four boys have plans for their solo careers set.

Harry Styles: One of the most popular One Direction members, Styles is expected to have the most successful solo career. People are already comparing him with Justin Timberlake post-NSYNC. It's been reported that Sony bosses are eager to sign Harry, but sources have said that he is also considering offers to launch an acting career in Hollywood.

Niall Horan: This Irishman is reportedly considering releasing his own music as he has apparently written with close friend Justin Bieber. It has also been speculated that he would be a perfect manager for Kyrgios, given he is a huge tennis fan.

Louis Tomlinson: This band member is reportedly setting up his own record company with Syco and is apparently gearing up to be part of the next season of "X-Factor". Also, we all know that Tomlinson is due to become a father soon, so he may have a lot of other responsibilities as well. And for the uninitiated, he is also a signed soccer player with English Club, the Doncaster Rovers. It looks like another possible career option here.

Liam Payne: The 21-year-old singer has made it very clear in his earlier interviews that he wants to concentrate on a career in songwriting, producing and DJing.

Only time will tell as to which direction will the careers of these One Direction band members go in.