Don't Worry One Direction Fans, Zayn Will Return

On Wednesday, fans became devastated when Zayn Malik left One Direction and took his majestic, beautiful hair with him. Fans are devastated. It's been a tough 24-hours for everyone. However, all is not lost — the band has vowed to stay together and continue on as a foursome. BUT WHO WILL TAKE OVER HIS SOLOS? WHOOOO? Malik and Styles are by far the most popular members amongst fans. Zayn Malik is the JC Chasez to Harry Styles' Justin Timberlake. The Donnie Wahlberg to his Jordan Knight! You get the idea. For a lesser boy band, this departure could mean the end, but Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne will carry on. One bad boy is down, but lots of hair and dashingly stylish coats remain. We've still got the heartbreaker, the nice one, the one all the mums like, and the one most people forget is there (sorry, guys).

But gentle 1D-ers, do not fret, for I have good news to share: Zayn Malik will probably return to the band. In the long history of ooey-gooey bubble gum pop groups, a member leaves, the band continues, success wavers, then when enough time has passed for their original fans to feel nostalgic, they return fully-formed! Since One Direction has already been together for five years, you only have to wait for another five years before they do a 10-year reunion. It'll happen, I promise! Don't believe me? Take a look at these mega pop groups and their history of splintering and getting back together for reunion tours, heartfelt "grown-up" albums, cruise ships AND MORE. Enjoy.

New Kids On The Block

True, they are finer now than they were as pelvic-thrusting teens, but they weren't always the committed crooners they are today. Jonathan Knight left the band after the release of 1994's Face the Music. Not soon after, the rest of the band decided to call it quits. In 2008, 14 years later, the fellas got back together to release a new album, The Block. Then, summer after summer, they toured the world giving their fans a reason to break out those neon scrunchies and white keds and dance their hearts out.

In 2010 NKOTB joined forces with the Backstreet Boys to create mega-boy-band NKOTBSB in 2011. They toured together through 2012 and it was the greatest musical event in the history of mankind.* So what are the fellas up to now? They're still touring and recording together. They even have a reality show based on their fan cruise called Rock This Boat. And if that's not enough New Kids news: Jordan Knight and Nick Carter paired up last year for Nick and Knight. GET IT?

Backstreet Boys

Since roughly the age of 10, the Backstreet Boys have been my fire, my one desire. I stood outside of the Total Request Live studios when they were guests. I plastered my walls with Teen Beat fold-outs of Nick Carter biting a rose in between his teeth. I dedicated an AIM screenname to them. Needless to say, I was heartbroken when Kevin Richardson left the band in 2006 (yeah, I was in college, WHAT OF IT!?) right after the release of their comeback album Never Gone. They, too, decided to go on as a foursome: Brian, Nick, Howie, and AJ remained. But there was no one there to tell us, "Baby, I know you're hurting..." It just wasn't the same without Richardson.

BSB released two more albums, Unbreakable and This is Us. Thankfully, Richardson returned in 2012 after missing out on the epic musical journey that was NKOTBSB. With everyone back together again, they too took their fans on cruises AND got back to the studio to release In a World Like This . And in case you missed it, there's a friggin' documentary about their 20-year history together called Show 'Em What You're Made Of. SUCK ON THAT *NSTINK. **

Spice Girls

You know, not all pop band royalty belongs to the fellas. The Spice Girls reigned supreme with their smash albums Spice and Spiceworld. They taught us about girl power, platform badassery, and being your own fierce self. They ran the world before Bey, y'all. It was a major shock when Geri Halliwell aka Ginger Spice decided to leave the group in 1998, just when the Girls were at the peak of their fame. Sporty, Scary, Posh, and Baby all went on and released Forever. They went on "indefinite hiatus" thereafter.

Like their contemporaries, they all got back together in the early 2000's, Ginger included. In 2007 they announced at London's O2 Arena that they were reuniting and all was right with the world. They went on a nearly sold-out worldwide tour and joined forced again in 2012 to produce the West End smash Viva Forever: The Musical! Since then, the Spice Girls have been teasing fans with hints of tours with the likes of the Backstreet Boys. COME ON, LADIES.

See One Direction fans? I told you everything was gonna be just fine.

*Author's opinion. No disrespect, Beethoven.

**Had to.