It was only a matter of time before Styles and One Direction members–Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik–went their own way.
Zayn has been the trailblazer. He quit the band two years ago to launch a solo career. His first solo album, Mind of Mine was a breakout hit.
The album debuted at No. 1 on U.S. album charts and was certified as a gold record by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Malik also became the first British male solo artist to debut at number one with his first album.
How could Harry go wrong?
The singer, best known in the group for his mop haircut, announced the world tour on Twitter today (Apr. 28). His stops will include Paris, London and Milan and wrap in Tokyo on Dec. 8.
One Direction went on indefinite hiatus last year.
Bandmates Horan and Tomlinson also beat Harry out of the gate with solo music and Payne is reportedly working on new solo material as well.
So far no other tours have been announced. Malik is reportedly still suffering from anxiety about performing live, one of the reasons he gave for quitting One Direction.
The band proved that the sum of the parts isn’t always greater than the whole. The boys all auditioned as solo artistsin 2010 for the seventh series of the British singing competition “The X Factor.”
They all washed out. But show producer Simon Cowell pulled them together and launched One Direction. As a group, they scored near instant success.
It remains to be seen how well they’ll fair on their own. But so far so good.
Keith Girard has four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written one book on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War and two novels: The ‘Heidelberg Conundrum’ and ‘The Curse of Northam Bay.’