When the hit British boy band One Direction started its extended hiatus in March of 2016 to "focus on solo projects," the 12 year old fan girl died in all of us to say the least.

Fans were originally wounded in March of 2015 when fifth band member Zayn Malik announced that he would not be renewing his contract with the band and instead would be pursuing a solo career. Members of the band reassured fans multiple times that the band would not be splitting up after Malik's departure, as they had spent 5 years together as a whole and intended to spend many more years together. One Direction continued on for another year with their album "Made in the A.M." After the album's tour came to a conclusion, the announcement of their extended hiatus came out to the public. While many of us were worried for their hiatus leading to a definite split, the bands members have made it very evident that the boys do not intend on breaking up. In fact, member Niall Horan has stated that the band is only taking an extended hiatus of "at least a year to focus on solo projects."

So what kinds of projects was Horan talking about? Let's start with Zayn Malik, or shall I say just Zayn since he lost his last name when he went solo. His song as a solo artist was released on January 29th of 2016 as "Pillowtalk." With no surprise, Zayn's single was a hit. Everyone's got to listen to the first song of the boy who broke up the boy band, right? Zayn went on to releasing a full album entitled "Mind of Mine" on March 25th of 2016. Since then, he's done multiple collaborations with artists such as Lil Wayne, Kehlani, and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Additionally, Zayn paired up with Taylor Swift in "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" for the soundtrack of "Fifty Shades Darker." The ballsy move to step out from One Direction seems to have been paying off. I'd say Zayn's been quite prosperous with his new R&B/pop style on his own.

Next is heartthrob Harry Styles. After a fresh new haircut, Styles was ready to come back out to the world of music. Just a few weeks ago, Harry released a single entitled "Sign of the Times." Initially, I recognized a more authentic/contemporary style to the song, heavily differing from Zayn's type of music. I'm also getting a vibe just shy of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, but maybe it's just me. Shortly after the release of his first single, he released a set list for his upcoming album. As of now, the album is just titled "Harry Styles" with ten songs and is to be out on May 12th of 2017. Just a few days ago, Styles released yet another song from his album called "Sweet Creature." Both songs have remained in the top 30 on ITunes since their release. So far, Harry's success has been soaring.

Next is fun-loving Louis Tomlinson. Louis has done quite a bit, like the rest of 1D. Before the band's hiatus, it was announced that Louis would soon be a dad. The first One Direction baby was born on January 21st of 2016. Since then, Louis has split with the mother of his child and rekindled with his ex-girlfriend Eleanor Calder. So far the couple has been going strong. Additionally, Louis has collaborated with EDM icon Steve Aoki and released a song called "Just Hold On." Other collaborators have commented on Tomlinson's work and excitement has been building. I'm guessing his music will have a more electronic/techno tone to it, but I guess we'll all have to wait and see what else is to come.

Ah, Liam Payne. This 1D member has done quite a bit since the band's hiatus, but not regarding music. Payne recently became a dad to Bear, his newborn son with Cheryl Cole. Recent updates on Payne say the couple have been keeping their son's name quiet, however it was recently confirmed by Payne that the little boy had in fact been named Bear. Not much else has happened, but needless to say Liam has been making a lot out of his life away from One Direction.

Last, but not certainly not least, is Irish sweetheart Niall Horan. Horan was the second individual (after Zayn) from 1D to come out with new music as a solo artist. On September 29th of 2016, he released his solo "This Town." In the song, Horan sings about coming home to find his first love with another. Initially, I thought Niall's work would have a sound like The Script or Gavin Degraw, however I have started to think otherwise with Niall's newest release of "Slow Hands." Currently, the single is #1 on ITunes, but the song just came out on May 4th, so let's wait until the rave dies down a bit and see where the song ends up in a few weeks. Niall Horan has told fans to expect a full album soon of 11-12 songs as he is in the middle of recording it. He has also stated that all of the music is recorded live, so it takes a bit longer to produce. With a #1 single on the charts, Niall Horan seems to be on top of the world.

So, what do all of these whereabouts mean for the members of One Direction? Well, it appears as though the boys are doing much better going separate directions. Quite the irony considering the entirety of the band revolved around going in one direction. Nevertheless, I'm excited to hear what else the members end up doing with their time. Who knows, maybe there's an underlying message here. Is it good to stay with the life you've grown up with or better to branch off into the world to see what else is out there?