Is Liam Payne becoming the next Justin Timberlake? In a way, he is, but I would not say that he is absolutely "going solo."

As of July 21, Payne signed a solo record deal with Capitol Records in the United Kingdom. Payne posted a photo to Instagram saying this:

"Very happy to have signed to my new record label Capitol Records. They have such an amazing history of artists, I hope I can follow in their footsteps. One direction will always be my home and family but I'm very excited to see what this chapter brings."

There is no doubt that Payne will be successful, and the other members of One Direction seem to be very okay with him pursuing this project.

However, if you are a bit worried that his solo project will make One Direction's hiatus a permanent one (like me), just relax.

After Payne's older sister, Ruth, congratulated her younger brother on Twitter and expressed that she is excited to listen to his new music in her car, she assured fans that he is still very much part of One Direction.

If that does not alleviate some of worry, just remember that the members of One Direction have made multiple promises that they would return, and I do not think that four boys who have gained such immense success and have built a strong brotherhood together would abandon each other.

Also, when the album "Made In the A.M." was released, the song "History" emphasized that promise with Tomlinson repeating the phrase, "This is not the end." Just take a listen to the song, sing along with the boys and remind yourself what they promised.

No matter your view on the situation, this is a big moment for Liam. This is his time to prove to the world that he has talent.