Will One Direction Ever Get Back Together? Harry Styles Reportedly Going Solo

Harry Styles is reportedly following in the footsteps of his former bandmate Zayn Malik and launching a solo career. The 22-year-old singer hasn’t commented on the rumor, but a new report claimed Styles recently signed a recording contract so he could begin working on his own album.

One of the remaining four members of One Direction, Styles reportedly has a deal with Columbia Records, the same label that signed his band. The terms of Styles’ new contract haven’t been revealed, and there’s no word on when fans can expect him to drop his first album, sources told E Online.

Apparently, there have been some clues that Styles was supposedly attempting to go solo. The media outlet reported that the singer had four of his own songs registered with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers last year. He is also said to have signed with Full Stop Management in March.

One Direction shocked fans last August when its members announced they were going on a “hiatus.” The news came just a few months after Malik quit the band in March. Simon Cowell, who is credited with discovering One Direction, recently admitted he expected Styles to launch a solo career at some point. “He’ll work out what kind of record he wants to make because he’s got great taste — which is always a help,” Cowell told Billboard in March. “All the writers and producers want to work with him, understandably, but he probably won’t rush into it.”

Cowell also told the media outlet that he’s not sure what the future of One Direction looks like. “I don’t know if it’s a hiatus or a breakup, to be honest,” he confessed. “In a weird way, I don’t want to know. I don’t think they’ve had enough time to experience what it’s like not being in the group to really answer that.”

In addition to Styles supposedly going solo, the singer is also venturing into acting. He recently cut his long curly hair for the film “Dunkirk.” He teased the haircut on Instagram in May, posting a photograph of himself giving a thumbs-up as he held a long, severed braid. He captioned the photo, “Whoops. #LittlePrincessTrust,” referring to the charity to which he chose to donate his hair.