Louis Tomlinson has split from Simon Cowell’s Syco record label.
The 28-year-old singer – who first found fame as part of One Direction – has announced an amicable split from the label via Twitter, saying he’s now "really excited for the future".
He wrote on the micro-blogging platform: "Hope everyone is doing ok! Just wanted to let you know that Syco Music and I have agreed to part ways. I’m really excited for the future and to be back in the studio writing the next album. Can’t wait to finally see you all on tour!!
"Stay safe and see you soon, Louis x (sic)"
Earlier this year, meanwhile, Louis admitted that being in One Direction was like "a drug".
The chart-topping star – who released his debut album, ‘Walls’, in January – joined the band in 2010, when he auditioned as a solo artist on ‘The X Factor’ in the UK, and Louis relished the experience.
He shared: "We were always in control of our destiny. We rose to fame pretty quick and, because of that, we had some power and some say within the record label and with management.
"[It was] like a drug. It’s that feeling of heightened emotion and every day being manically busy, and the hysteria.
"Although you might complain about it, none of us said, ‘No we don’t wanna do that.’ We were just in it. We were f***ing loving it."
One Direction – which also included Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Liam Payne – decided to take a break in 2016.
And Louis initially found it tough to adjust to life as a solo artist.
He said: "We’d done such a lot of work in a short space of time so a break was inevitable. But I don’t think I was necessarily ready for how long.
"We had a band meeting and everyone just said, ‘Maybe we’ll put it on the back burner for a bit,’ and I felt a bit petulant about that at the time. It actually hit me like a ton of bricks."