Sound CheckOne Direction members probably won’t be going solo for the next three years
It looks like the members of One Direction will be traveling in the same direction together for the next three years.
According to Popdust, there is a stipulation in the band’s Sony Music contract that hinders members from going solo by stating that he who does so will set a substantial financial penalty in motion that will affect all five members.
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“The contract is said to outline that if one or more of the lads decides to leave during that time period, each member will receive less money than originally thought,” MTV reports.
A source told The Sun that the contract says that the 36-month deal includes an album every year and a light at the end of the tunnel that is worth millions.
Although there are plenty of reasons for a singer to leave a boy band to pursue their own solo career, sometimes it doesn’t work out.
Check out a few musicians who have had success outside of their band’s universe and others who haven’t been so lucky.
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Michael Jackson
The last full-fledged tour Michael Jackson embarked on with his four brothers was The Jacksons’ “Victory Tour” in 1984 due to his growing success as a solo artist.
The King of Pop already had No.1 hits like “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough,” “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” before leaving the group and only rose upwards after his exit.
JC Chasez
While with *NSYNC, JC was partly responsible for the band’s success in selling over 50 million albums.
Since pursuing his solo career after the group’s last album in 2001, Chasez has had two songs on Billboard’s Hot 100: “Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)” which peaked at No. 35 in 2003 and “Some Girls (Dance With Women)” which came in at No. 88 in 2004.
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Fergie
During Fergie’s time with girl group Wild Orchid, the band had three tunes on Billboard’s Hot 100 like “Talk To Me,” “At Night I Pray” and “Supernatural” in the late 1990s.
After the band fell apart, the singer joined the multi-platinum selling band the Black Eyed Peas and embarked on a solo career, which produced No. 1 hits like “London Bridge,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Glamorous."
Geri Halliwell
The Spice Girls were a force to be reckoned with during their prime in the late '90s. However, Ginger Spice left the band and released her solo record “Schizophonic” in 1999, which only made it to No. 42 on the Billboard 200-album chart.
She then came to her senses and re-joined the Spice Girls in 2007 for their world tour.
