Watch: Harry Styles and Zoe Kravitz’s Rare Kiss Is Indeed a Sign of the Times
Harry Styles didn’t want his reclusive lifestyle to continue as it was.
The Grammy winner explained that his free time is now much more liberating compared to when he was touring with One Direction—and it’s all thanks to a former girlfriend.
“In the early days, when I was in the band, so much of the hotel experience felt very locked-in,” Styles said during a joint Rolling Stone interview with Thom Yorke published Oct. 8. “When I’d be home, it felt like, ‘Oh, it’s not safe for me to be out.’”
However, the 32-year-old—who dated Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner and Caroline Flack in the 2010s—learned to overcome the anxiety of being in public with some help.
“I had a girlfriend who was very outgoing, and she was coming to London and I was like, ‘Oh, if we just sit in my house for three days, she’s gonna think I’m nuts,’” he continued. “So we walked everywhere, and it was this realization for me: ‘Oh, it’s fine to be outside.’”
Styles added, “It kind of broke that thing. Now, it’s changed my life in such a big way, because it’s how you stay connected to the world.”
In fact, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer—who is reportedly engaged to Zoë Kravitz—now believes that being out and about is what fuels his creativity.
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“I read something about walking being the artist’s kind of perspective,” he shared, “because you’re at ground level and you see things that you just don’t see if you’re driving everywhere.”
But while Styles may be comfortable stepping out for a stroll in public, he has been adamant that he isn’t interested in sharing the entire story of his life. In fact, he purposefully has not addressed questions about his sexuality in order to maintain his privacy.
“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone,” he told Rolling Stone in a separate 2022 interview. “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re choosing to have a public relationship or something.”
He added, “I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it.”
And even when the night changes, it’ll never change Styles.
“I’ve never talked about my life away from work publicly,” he emphasized. “and found that it’s benefited me positively.”
For a deep dive into Styles’ dating history through the years, keep reading…
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