Harry Styles has made moves to distance himself from One Direction as he embarks on a solo career, by reportedly firing his publicist and management team of five years.

According to a report in The Sun, the singer has ditched Modest Management, who made him and 1D famous, and is being represented for the purposes of his upcoming solo material by his close friend, L.A. agent Jeffrey Azoff. Furthermore, Syco and Simon Cowell are also rumoured to be next in line for the chop.

Harry StylesHarry Styles is said to have sacked his 1D management and publicity team

A source told the publication: “Harry is done with One Direction. He wants to completely disassociate with the band and that includes any professional connection. His new team will be about launching him as a solo superstar by around this time next year so the work is starting now.”

Earlier this month, rap icon-turned-music guru Jay Z said that he was interested in working with the 21 year old pin-up, saying that he could make him the “biggest star in the world”.

The source continued: “The message from Harry to the other boys is pretty clear that he doesn’t see 1D together for a long time if at all. Harry had a great time working with Modest and Syco… But the feeling is that he probably wants a completely fresh start and that could include his record company as well.”

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However, the other remaining members of One Direction – Niall Horan, Liam Payne and new father Louis Tomlinson – are remaining with Modest Management for the purposes of their own projects they have planned.

What does this mean regarding the 1D hiatus? Well, the official position has always been that the foursome would re-unite after a year and the various band members had had a break from the group’s relentless touring schedule. However, rumours of a permanent split have proved hard to dispel, and this latest development will have Directioners concerned that their heroes might be done for good.

It must emphasised that official representatives for Styles have not confirmed or denied this latest rumour at the time of writing.

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