Boyband One Direction have vowed to stay together for as long as their fans support them.

There have been rumours over the last year that One Direction would take an indefinite hiatus or split entirely, but those suggestions have always been publicly quashed by the group, reported Digital Spy. The band says that they are currently hard at work on a new studio album to be released this year.

"We always hear rumours about us splitting - but we're not. We've already started recording our fourth album," Harry Styles said. Niall Horan added, "The fact we have an album coming should put these rumours to bed. We're here for as long as the fans want us."

Their bandmate Liam Payne went on to say that One Direction's collective goal is to continue to release new material "year after year". One Direction are currently on the South American leg of their 'Where We Are Tour' after three months off, with upcoming shows scheduled in Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

"We're really close as a band. It was lovely to have time off, but now it's great to be back together and on the road. We're having a ball," Horan said of the tour.