Liam Payne has become the latest member of One Direction to branch out as a solo artist, announcing on twitter this evening that he's signed a record deal with Capitol Records UK.

The boyband are currently on a break, but with all its members exploring different career options, it could end up being a more permanent hiatus.

Liam is the third member of the group to have signed a solo deal, with Harry Styles and Zayn Malik having already taken up contracts. Niall Horan has also reportedly been working on his own material, so we could see a One Direction chart battle before too long.