One Direction stayed in the public eye since their hiatus was announced on 2015. However, the unsure status of the group only suggests that the future seems blurry for them.
The boy band, now made up of Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, previously announced that they will go on an extended hiatus of at least 18 months to focus more on solo work. In January, a report published by US Weekly leaves fans devastated, following its claim that the supposed hiatus will become a permanent split.
The group's representatives quickly denied the said report and reassured the fans that nothing has changed regarding the group's plan. A month later, it was confirmed that Styles had left the group's management to begin a solo career path.
Considering the unsure hiatus status of the band, many believed that the end is near for One Direction. In fact, Simon Cowell dropped hints about it, where he said that the band might have split for good and admitted that he is not even sure if they plan to reunite.
"I don't know if it's a hiatus or a break-up, to be honest," said Cowell. "In a weird way, I don't want to know. I don't think they've had enough time to experience what it's like not being in the group to really answer that," Cowell said in a recent interview with Billboard.
The group was formed and mentored by Cowell in 2010 on "The X Factor." As a former mentor, Cowell said that he is not trying to push the group away, and insists that it is up to the boys whether they want to come back together or not.
"Whenever I was with them, we talked about [going on a break], but I couldn't argue with them," he said, adding that he does not want them to get jaded as the group had already accomplished a lot.
The 56-year-old Cowell added that all throughout the years, he had figured out how to trust people, more particularly artists. As for the rest of the band's solo plans, Cowell does not deny that Styles is currently working on a new material.
As of press time, the band has yet to issue an official statement regarding the said reports.
Watch One Direction perform "Drag Me Down" in this music video below: