JLS Announce Split

After five years together, British boyband JLS have announced their plans to split up. The X-Factor finalists – runners up to Alexandra Burke in 2008 – posted an official statement on the band’s official web page yesterday following the disastrous performance of their latest single in the charts. "Hold Me Down/Give Me Life" only managed to reach 112 in the UK Singles Chart – a far cry from the top-ten singles that the band has released in the past.

The band – likened to previous acts such as Busted and McFly and often considered the inspiration for acts such as The Wanted and One Direction – rose to fame in 2009 after their first single "Beat Again" went straight to number one in the UK. Five years of success (including two arena tours) were met with obvious adoration from the teenage public, with the band scoring five number ones and ten top ten singles. They continued on to capture the hearts of many girls from across the world with their hook-infused pop tunes. Although wildly popular when they started out, the act’s support has noticeably declined within the past few years with the introduction of similar (and newer) bands into the charts.

The split has been met with a mixed reception. Fans from across the globe took to social networking site Twitter to register their opinions and bid farewell to their idols. Famous faces appeared amongst the well-wishers, with people such as Cheryl Cole and Louis Tomlinson wishing JLS the best in their future endeavours. Contesting this are the thousands of jokes regarding the JLS branded condoms and cries of joy at the news of the break-up of one of the UK’s biggest pop acts.

Worry not, however. The band are embarking on a farewell tour as well as releasing a greatest hits album and a final single. While this is good news for JLS fans, some of the public can’t help but wonder if this is a last-ditch effort to make a last massive paycheck from a dying career.

You can find the official statement from the band here.