Harry Styles celebrates birthday with new management

Harry Styles celebrated his 22nd birthday on Monday (01Feb16) by announcing he has split from his longtime managers.

The One Direction star is currently on a hiatus from the boy band, but he is keeping busy by signing a new deal with Creative Artists Agency's Jeffrey Azoff, the son of music industry mogul and longtime Eagles handler Irving Azoff.

Executives at Modest Management confirmed the big news in a statement to Billboard, which reads, "We wish Harry the very best. It has been a real pleasure working with him.

"Harry is a total gentleman, and we know our good friend Jeffrey Azoff will look after him. We look forward to sharing some great wine with them next time we are in L.A."

Several reports suggest Harry's management move is similar to that of his former bandmate Zayn Malik, who recently launched his solo career after quitting the band last year (15).

The new deal comes just weeks after it was revealed Styles had quietly registered four new songs with performing rights organisation ASCAP. The pop star previously suggested the One Direction break would last 18 months.

Meanwhile, Harry had his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift on his mind as he turned 22, taking to Twitter.com and responding to fans' birthday greetings with a line out of her hit song 22. He wrote: "I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22."

Harry and Taylor dated in 2012, but have since moved on to other relationships. Harry was recently linked to model Kendall Jenner, while Taylor has been dating DJ Calvin Harris since last year (15).