Louis Walsh believes One Direction have split up for good.
The 64-year-old ‘X Factor’ judge is certain the boy band – who went on hiatus earlier this year – won’t reunite and believes Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan are "afraid" to tell the truth because they are enjoying "the hype" surrounding their expected reformation as they all embark on solo projects.
Discussing the future of the group – which also counted Zayn Malik as a member – with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Irish music manager said: "Yeah, I would say so [One Direction have split]. Some of them believed the hype and then everyone around them – publicists, agents, managers – were afraid to tell them because they were making so much money out of them."
And Louis has returned to ‘The X Factor’ judging panel this year alongside Nicole Scherzinger, Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne, despite being axed from last year’s series.
Despite Simon’s musical expertise and the Syco machine that supports the winners and the successes from the show, Louis believes the long-standing programme creates "monsters" who are not loyal to his friend.
He explained: "Simon always knows what will sell. Simon’s made so many people millionaires, but not everybody’s loyal to him.
"We create monsters in the music business – they only become famous because they’ve been on the show and we got you those songs. They’re lucky f***ers, but some get a sense of entitlement and believe the hype. Too many artists appear to forget where they came from."
And Louis has revealed it hurts him to see talented singers "f**k it up", and to see stars like Jennifer Lopez achieve global fame when they can’t hold a note.
He said: "It kills me to see people with real talent f**k it up.
"Then you see people with not a lot of talent but a work ethic make it – Katy Perry, Britney (Spears), Kylie (Minogue). J.Lo cannot sing, but she’s still selling out Vegas.
"But [‘The X Factor’ winners] don’t realise they’re only at the start of their careers. They think, ‘Ooh, I’ve all these Twitter followers, job done.’ But it’s not about that, it’s about where you’ll be in two years."
Louis Walsh believes One Direction have split for good
