Now,\u00a0One Direction had a good run. \u00a0Five\u00a0albums over four years. \u00a0That’s a decent lifespan for their ilk. \u00a0But if you’re in\u00a0a boy band, you should have an\u00a0exit strategy. \u00a0At some point, you stop being boys. \u00a0And growing with the audience is easier said than done, because you tend to be the sort of thing the fans make a point of leaving behind as they get older. \u00a0Look at\u00a0Take That – consigned to the “vaguely embarrassing” file until the audience were old enough not to be so self-conscious about liking them.<\/p>\n
And if you’re a member of One Direction, you\u00a0probably\u00a0noticed that the media long since established the\u00a0conventional wisdom that, come the inevitable split, the successful one – the really A-list one – was\u00a0Harry Styles. \u00a0Good news for Harry Styles. \u00a0Less thrilling\u00a0for the other four.<\/p>\n