Harry Styles solo album release date: Album will 'blow the socks off the world,' collaborator says

Following in the footsteps of his former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik, Harry Styles is said to have set his sights on a solo career and is currently working on a solo album.

One Direction went on a hiatus in December 2015, and while bandmates Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson took breaks, Styles began working on his own projects, including doing some acting work for the upcoming film "Dunkirk," a historical war drama helmed by "Interstellar" director Christopher Nolan.

In December, Billboard reported that Styles had registered four tracks as a solo performer with the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers). The songs ("Already Home," "Endlessly," "Coco" and "5378 Miles") left a legal trail that all but confirmed what many of the 22-year-old singer's fans have long suspected: Styles was about to hit the world with some music of his very own.

Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid, Styles' friend and songwriting partner, was credited as a co-songwriter on all four of the songs registered by the boyband member. According to NME, McDaid has been collaborating with Styles "for years."

In an interview with the Associated Press, McDaid shared some details about Styles' future solo album, confirming the long-standing rumors that the young singer is looking to strike out on his own.

"I'm really excited by the way he's sounding at the minute, he's such a talent," the Snow Patrol pianist said (via MTV News). "I think the world is going to be really shocked at what he comes up with."

While McDaid did not speak about the expected release date for the mystery album, he did tease that the project is likely to leave a major impact on Styles' fans.

"But I would imagine that Harry would come up with something that's going to be pretty special, and from what I've heard, it'll blow the socks off the world," he added.

In March, Simon Cowell, a former mentor of One Direction, spoke to Billboard about Styles. "He'll work out what kind of record he wants to make because he's got great taste - which is always a help," he said.

According to The Sun, Styles had been trying to keep his upcoming solo album under wraps at least until he is done shooting his first film role in "Dunkirk." The outlet also claimed that the One Direction band member is in the midst of a tug-of-war between record labels Sony and Universal, and that Universal is likely to end up the winner.

The official release date for Harry Styles' upcoming solo album has yet to be announced.