1D's Louis Tomlinson Might Be Going Solo, Too

After 2016 began with the announcement of One Direction going on hiatus, it looks as though the year could end with all four of the remaining members (following Zayn Malik's previous departure) officially beginning the pursuit of their own solo careers past that hiatus. Up until this point, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Liam Payne have all declared that they are going solo from One Direction and developing their own individual music careers. But, on Friday, it was reported that Louis Tomlinson is also pursuing a solo career.

A source allegedly shared the following with Britain's tabloid newspaper The Sun:

Louis is a brilliant songwriter and had not initially planned his own solo career. But he’s been back in the studio and has been working on some really amazing music. They think he could be a real success as a solo artist, given his proven ability to write hit records and massive fanbase as part of 1D.

The news piece goes on to suggest that bosses at Syco (One Direction mentor Simon Cowell's music label) are allegedly impressed with Tomlinson's solo tracks, which he has reportedly been working on in secret. Bustle has contacted a representative of Tomlinson regarding these statements. If all of this does happen to be true, then not only will he be the final member of One Direction to pursue a solo career but he'll also be the only one still attached to Cowell's Syco label. And that could potentially be more significant than fans realize.

After all, with the four other members of One Direction having signed with labels away from Syco (Malik being signed to RCA, Styles to Columbia Records, Payne with Captiol, and Horan with Universal), it would be easy to surmise that they may be looking to produce music beyond One Direction's type of sound. Tomlinson's decision to stick with Syco, however, could imply that he's more than happy to maintain it — albeit developed to suit the mature standing of a boy band member looking to assert his capabilities as a solo artist.

So far, the songs from Malik's solo career have certainly suggested that his sound has developed far away from that of One Direction. And Horan's first solo single, "This Town" though still maintaining the cadences of the boy band's signature pop style, also had a refreshingly independent sounding, stripped down edge. Whether either of these artists would have still been given the freedom to pursue these styles of music had they remained with Syco is impossible to gauge, but there's no denying that they both certainly sound like they're coming into their own as musical artists.

It's also becoming more and more clear, then, that there isn't one singular direction for the boy band to go in. As such, it's fascinating to watch them all as individuals developing their own distinctive musical style away from a band, and hearing sides to their skill sets that weren't always evident in One Direction. When Tomlinson does record and release some of his own music for fans to hear, it'll be interesting to discover whether he's sticking with the tried and tested formula of classic One Direction or whether he's discovered a new direction, instead.