One Direction's Louis Tomlinson to debut new girl group under own record imprint label from Sony

One Direction seems to have officially broken up as Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson -- the last remaining members -- have begun their own solo careers as well. But while Niall is following his ex-band mates and trying to forge a musical career of his own, Louis has taken a more quiet, less travelled route.

Louis has turned to One Direction’s own mentor, Simon Cowell, to help him launch a girl band. With his own record label imprint under Sony, the 24-year-old partnered up with the “X-Factor” judge to work with a new musical group. Speaking to Mirror UK, Simon confirmed that the girls are some of the best that he has heard.

“[Louis] has just signed a deal with us as an imprint of a record label,” he said. “He has a new artist who is going to be released this year, I hope, who are incredible.”

Simon also took the time to praise Louis. He told the publication that Louis first came to him with the idea 12 to 18 months ago and has since stuck to it. “He has got fantastic instincts,” Simon said. “I think he has got a real knack for this."

Simon also revealed that he encouraged Harry Styles, the second member of One Direction to embark on a solo career, to sign individually with Columbia Records. That particular deal was made public in June. Liam Payne followed with his own solo announcement in July. Zayn Malik was the first to leave the group in 2015.

Niall, who is the latest to make a name for himself, debuted his very first solo single, “This Town,” over Kiss FM on Thursday. The acoustic track was also shared by the 23-year-old singer-songwriter over his social media accounts.

“You still make me nervous when you walk in the room. Them butterflies, they come alive when I’m next to you,” he sings. “Over and over the only truth, everything comes back to you.”

Watch “This Town” by Niall Horan