When Zayn Malik announced he was leaving One Direction on March 25, you would've thought Armageddon was upon us.
Fans openly wept.
The Twitterverse went insane with heartbroken teens begging the 22-year-old to return to this generation's biggest boy band.
And predictably, people rushed to cash in.
American diner chain Denny's tweeted a cheeky offer to let Directioners drown their sorrows in comfort food.
Madame Tussauds London even had a full-time "tissue attendant" to console visitors examining the UK group's popular wax figurines at the museum.
Not being a Directioner, I don't fully understand the hype.
I've lived through the break-up of plenty of bands in my time - Oasis, Rage Against The Machine and The Spice Girls - and I've never shed a tear.
If anything, history has taught us that bands, like civilisations, must rise and fall to give way to new ones.
And let's not forget that One Direction hasn't officially broken up; they're just missing one member.
Louis Tomlinson, 23, Liam Payne, 21, Harry Styles, 21, and Niall Horan, 21, are still in it to win it.
The lads have vowed to soldier on without Malik, as a foursome, continuing their On The Road Again worldwide tour and putting out their fifth album later this year.
"It's been a tough few weeks, probably the toughest since the band was formed five years ago," Payne admitted in One Direction's first official post-Malik interview with The Sun.
"We're gutted that Zayn chose to leave, but now after a few performances as a four piece, we're feeling confident and are determined to carry on stronger than ever."
Tomlinson added: "All four of us are 100 per cent committed to staying in One Direction, and we want to thank the fans for being so incredible during this time. We have so much more we still want to achieve."
Of course, the 1D dynamic will inevitably change.
Malik was the mysterious one in the group, the soulful one who didn't speak much and mostly let his talent (and tattoos) do the talking.
NEWFOUND FREEDOM
His newfound freedom seems to suit him. He has already declared he has never felt more in control of his life since leaving.
And even before Directioners have had time to catch their breaths, Malik is busy preparing to launch his solo career.
He has been recording tunes with English DJ-producer Naughty Boy, who posted a teaser of Malik's song I Won't Mind online last week.
The stripped-down ballad features him crooning to the sounds of an acoustic guitar.
While the song isn't bad, fan reactions have been mixed, since many of them are still feeling betrayed.
Just ask the 50,000 people who unfollowed Malik on Twitter after I Won't Mind's unofficial release.
This doesn't bode well, but help is on the way. Word has it that English singer Robbie Williams is reaching out to Malik to advise him on his career.
Apparently, Elton John did the same for Williams when the latter left Take That in 1995, and Williams has sold more than 77 million records since.
Malik could do a lot worse.
So while the dust settles from the storm, let's remind ourselves that music, like life, is always evolving.
One Direction will carry on for the moment, Malik will make the sort of music he likes and the world will go on.
And if you're still grieving, there's always comfort food.
Striking out on their own
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
*NSYNC
A natural performer, the US actor-singer Timberlake, 34, has collaborated with everyone from Jay Z to Madonna to, uh, McDonald's ("I'm lovin' it", anyone?). He reportedly earned US$31.4 million (S$42.6 million) in 2014, making him last year's third highest-paid musician.
ROBBIE WILLIAMS
TAKE THAT
He has definitely been flying high as a solo artiste. Britpop's bad boy made it to the Guinness World Records for selling a staggering 1.6 million tickets in a single day for his 2006 world tour. Williams, 41, rejoined Take That from 2009 to 2012 "for fun". But these days, he's back to being his own man.
NICK JONAS
THE JONAS BROTHERS
Widely regarded as the most talented Jonas (sorry Joe and Kevin!), the 22-year-old hunk has been busy since his band of brothers split. Last year, he released his second solo album, toured with Demi Lovato and will open for Kelly Clarkson when she tours in October.
RONAN KEATING
BOYZONE
The former Irish frontman has released five solo albums since 1999. With a couple of great hits under his belt (When You Say Nothing At All, Life Is A Rollercoaster), Keating, 38, also recently snagged the lead role in the musical version of Once in London's West End.
NATHAN SYKES
THE WANTED
Since the English-Irish boy band announced their hiatus last year, Sykes, 21, released a high-profile ballad, Almost Is Never Enough, with his high-profile former girlfriend Ariana Grande. His latest solo single, More Than You'll Ever Know, is soulfully smooth, which smacks of great things to come.
This article was first published on April 8, 2015.
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