There have been rumors and speculations going around that Harry Styles will be leaving One Direction after their fifth album rolls out. Now that Zayn Malik already departed the highly popular English boy group, it's not unlikely that Styles will also follow in his former bandmate's footsteps.

In a recent interview, Styles addressed the issue and calmed down fans' fears. According to the 21-year-old heartthrob, he is not planning to step out of One Direction -- at least for now.

"We have the album and the tour that we're working on right now. I think when you have so many goals that you feel like you have yet to achieve, it's hard to kind of see past those," the singer told Ryan Seacrest in a phone interview on June 4, RyanSeacrest.com reported.

Styles continued, "It's important to kind of focus on what's going on and don't kind of lose track. So we're all working hard towards the same thing right now, and I don't think we're thinking much past that. We're just having a lot of fun and we're working hard and we're having a good time."

When asked how the band is handling the artistic process of the fifth album now that Malik is out, the recording artist said that not much has changed, though some aspects of the record are made with Malik still being considered. Regardless, Styles thinks that the new music "sounds good so far" and hopes that their fans would like it, the news outlet noted.

"The creative process - it's very similar to be honest," Styles admitted, as reported by RyanSeacrest.com. "But it was cool how some of the things came out sounding because actually there was a lot of parts that kind of needs to get written with Zayn in mind and with all of us in mind."

One Direction, which also consists of Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson, insisted that the band has no hard feelings towards Malik's departure. The boys even thanked their ex-bandmate in their acceptance speech for Top Duo/Group at this year's Billboard Music Awards, a report from Entertainment Weekly wrote.

Malik announced his departure from One Direction last March while in the middle of their On the Road Again World Tour. The singer ended his five-year involvement with the group because he wishes to lead a relaxed, normal life away from the spotlight, the singer explained.

One Direction's fifth album is expected to be released "towards the end of the year," RyanSeacrest.com reported. Prior to the record's launch, the foursome will kick off the 17-date North American leg of their On the Road Again Tour next month. Icona Pop will serve as their opening act in the concert series, which is set to begin in San Diego, California with stops in Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, among others.