Harry Styles is everywhere at the moment.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter (slash, these days, actor) released his album Harry’s House earlier this summer, to mega-success (his single, ‘As It Was’, became the most-streamed track on Spotify within 24 hour of release).
Next month, global audiences will see him star in Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller from his girlfriend, director Olivia Wilde, whom he met on set (although the couple have never publicly confirmed their relationships, they’ve been pictured holding hands since January 2021).
Now, the former One Direction star has done an exclusive, “day in the life” style profile interview with Rolling Stone magazine – addressing everything from his sexuality (which has long been a subject of speculation) to his wellness routine. Here are the best revelations that came out of Harry’s interview…
‘As It Was’ won him a whole new fanbase
While Harry has long been the subject of teenage girl fantasies (being in one of the world’s most successful boybands, and having that tousled hair, will do that), apparently his pandemic-inspired hit ‘As It Was’ was the thing that broke him through to a more male fanbase. “[It] is definitely the highest volume of men that I would get stopping me to say something about it. That feels like a weird comment because it’s not like men was the goal. It’s just something I noticed.”
We discovered (or rediscovered) what the song ‘Watermelon Sugar’ is really about
It may have been the catchiest song of 2021 – but did you ever realise what Harry’s Grammy-winning tune Watermelon Sugar was really about? The interviewer describes it as “a tune so sweet it may take a moment to realise he’s singing about cunnilingus”, a revelation which once you hear it… well, you can’t unhear it. Respect.
Harry has a post-stage ritual
It’s not unusual for performers to have pre- or post- show rituals – and Harry is no exception, taking a shower immediately after he comes off-stage, not just for hygiene but also “clarity and reflection”. His justification is particularly deep. “It’s really unnatural to stand in front of that many people and have that experience,” he said in the interview. “Washing it off, you’re just a naked person, in your most vulnerable, human form. Just like a naked baby, basically.”
He has therapy once a week
Over the past couple of years, Harry has apparently started doing therapy “more routinely” than in the past – a process that he says has been key to self-discovery. “I committed to doing it once a week. I felt like I exercise every day and take care of my body, so why wouldn’t I do that with my mind? So many of your emotions are so foreign before you start analyzing them properly. I like to really lean into [an emotion] and look at it in the face. Not like, ‘I don’t want to feel like this,’ but more like, ‘What is it that makes me feel this way?’” Apparently, he has tackled shame around his sex life – which was scrutinised by the media as he came of age in the public eye.
He has serious boundaries around his online life
It sounds like Harry has some solid boundaries around his social media and digital device usage – only using Instagram to look at “plants and architecture posts”, and eschewing TikTok and Twitter – “a shitstorm of people trying to be awful to people” —” altogether. According to the interviewer, he also leaves his phone on the other side of the room on charge for the duration of the conversation and doesn’t look at it.
He addressed online criticism towards those “close” to him – presumably Olivia Wilde
While Harry didn’t comment explicitly on the online trolling aimed at his girlfriend Olivia Wilde, the interviewer does – and Harry does subtly address the “difficult feeling” of attracting online hatred towards those he is involved with romantically, suggesting it is a tough “second date” conversation to have. “It’s obviously a difficult feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something. I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that.”
He addresses his sexuality “journey”
In the profile, the writer mentions accusations of “queerbaiting” aimed at Harry in recent years – as he embraces gender fluid fashion, for instance. Harry is diplomatic in his response, but equally leaves a lot open to interpretation when it comes to his sexuality. “Sometimes people say: ‘You’ve only publicly been with women,’ and I don’t think I’ve publicly been with anyone,” he says early on in the interview. Later, referring to his upcoming role in My Policeman – a film in which he plays a policeman in a same-sex relationship – he says: “I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it.”
He’s still music-first
While Harry has now been in a series of box office hit films – including, in the past, Dunkirk and Eternals, as well as the upcoming Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman, his music fans will be glad to hear his heart is still in his primary career.
He says: “I think there’ll be a time again when I’ll crave [acting]. But when you’re making music, something’s happening. It feels really creative, and it feeds stuff. A large part of acting is the doing-nothing, waiting thing. Which if that’s the worst part, then it’s a pretty good job. But I don’t find that section of it to be that fulfilling. I like doing it in the moment, but I don’t think I’ll do it a lot.”
He has a strict wellness routine
According to the interviewer, Harry’s wellness routine while touring involves: 10 hours of sleep in a room with two humidifiers, vitamin IV injections, a restricted diet to protect his throat (no coffee, alcohol or anything that might cause acid reflux). It sounds exhausting – but we understand now how he looks (and sounds) so good.
He’s become increasingly engaged in politics
Harry confesses his previous disengagement with all things political – and how he had a revelation as he grew up and became more famous: “I took a massive look at myself, and was like, ‘Oh, I don’t do enough . . . or anything.” In recent years, he has apparently read up on conversation around anti-Blackness and inaction, including books such as Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist and The Will to Change, by bell hooks. He also gets vocal about Roe v. Wade, saying: “I can’t begin to imagine how terrifying it is to be a woman in America at the moment.”