Harry Styles’ Solo Album May Already Be Done, Shares Release Date And The ‘Soundtrack’ To His Life

The boys of One Direction seem to be going their separate ways. After Zayn Malik left the band to pursue a solo career, many other members started mentioning the possibility of going solo as well. Liam Payne has already been writing songs for himself and other people, but none of the One Direction members are talked about as often as Harry Styles. For awhile, his solo career was only a rumor, but new reports suggest he’s already done with his first solo album.

According to Fashion and Style, Harry Styles plans to release the album in 2016 during the upcoming One Direction hiatus. The newest rumors say Styles is putting the finishing touches on the project and is looking to hire producer Max Martin to mix and fix his recorded tracks. Martin is a legend in the music industry and Harry Styles is a big fan.

Despite the fact that Max Martin produced music for Harry Styles’ ex Taylor Swift, an insider assured the Daily Star,“There’s never been any hard feelings, and Harry just admired Max’s work. He’s trying not to think too far ahead until after this last bit of promotion for 1D.”

Harry Styles also has his sights set on music manager — another famous name in the business — Irving Azoff, who has worked with Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera.

Reports say Harry Styles had already written upwards of 20 original solo songs during his time with One Direction, but that his first solo album will feature none of them. He apparently started the album from scratch.

“Harry has been writing constantly both when on the road and when doing his own thing. He’s managed to work on and record 20 songs already,” another source close to Harry Styles explained to the Daily Mail.“Some of what he’s written in the past has been given to the band. But he’s been working hard on creating his own sound.”

Now fans are curious what that unique Harry Styles voice might sound like. While waiting for his solo album to come out, the best way to guess is to learn what kind of music most influenced the life of Harry Styles. The One Direction singer spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the “soundtrack” to his life.

Harry Styles admitted that most of his musical taste came from his parents, especially songs from the ’70s and ’80s.

“My dad was a big [fan of] The Beatles, Elvis Presley, [The Rolling] Stones, Fleetwood Mac, that kinda stuff. I think if you grew up listening to that, a child can’t not be influenced. Yeah, a lot of that was [my parents]. And then my mum was crazy into Norah Jones and Shania Twain, so I have that side, too, which is fun.”

To get an idea of what kind of sound Harry Styles might try to capture in his solo effort, you might consider the song he most wishes he had written.

“I wish I had written ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,'” Harry said, referring to a 1975 Paul Simon track. “I think the verse in that song is one of the best verses ever written. It’s incredible.”

Harry Styles also revealed that his taste in music might actually surprise a lot of his fans, such as a British folk and soul singer whose name he dropped.

“I just got really into Lianna La Havas. I think she’s great. There’s plenty of [music I love] that people aren’t going to necessarily assume … but yeah, it changes constantly. That’s what makes it so fun.”

Until Harry Styles finally gets his solo record out, he claims he’s most focused on the new One Direction record Made in the A.M., which comes out on November 13.

[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]