Harry Styles says One Direction were encouraged to 'give a lot of ourselves away' as he admits by going solo he learned how to 'be more private' - after revealing he finds fame 'isolating'

Harry Styles has revealed that he learned to how to 'be more private' after going solo, as he recalled being made to 'give a lot of himself away' while in One Direction.

The singer, 32, shot to fame at 16 years old as part of one of the most successful boybands in history alongside Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne- who sadly died in 2024 and Zayn Malik.

Following Zayn's exit in 2015, the band announced an indefinite hiatus in 2016, with each member going on to launch a solo career.

And Harry has credited that time with helping him to figure out the parts of being famous that he was 'comfortable with', after he and his bandmates were encouraged to let the public into their personal lives during their time in the group.

Speaking on the Q with Tom Power podcast, he said: 'I think generally my experience of kind of being like in the public domain is that obviously you learn a lot about kind of what you're comfortable with and what you're not comfortable with. 

'And I think when I started in the band, we were kind of encouraged to like give a lot of ourselves away, you know, to kind of like let people get to know you.'

He went on: 'And I think that finishing that, and then when I started working on my own stuff, I felt like there were parts of that where I was kind of just learning what I was comfortable with and trying to like have kind of parts of my like personal life be more private.'

It comes after Harry spoke candidly about the isolating aspect of his stardom to Runner’s World, sharing that he found his passion for running because it enabled him to shed the trappings of fame.

He admitted that after shooting to global stardom in his teens in One Direction followed by further meteoric success as a solo artist, he began to feel an increasing sense of isolation as a result of his mammoth fame. 

After wrapping up his 173-date Love On Tour in July 2023, Harry took a break from music to spend times with his loved ones, travel and enjoy being part of an audience again, rather than the star on the stage.

'Over the years, I had to say no to everything I was invited to, whether it was a friend’s birthday, a trip somewhere amazing, an opening,' he recalled.

'I started to wonder if I was saying no because I really was so busy or because it was more comfortable than saying yes. 

'When you close yourself off to protect yourself from people who might bring negativity into your life, you’re also missing out on positive experiences.'

After taking time away from the spotlight to go to travelling, attend Glastonbury, hit the Berlin club scene and see the new Pope be announced in Rome, Harry found his passion for running, saying it became a place for him to 'really be by myself'.

He said: 'Because in some of those new experiences, there’s just so much stimulation, right? So many people, and it’s just so loud. 

'So then running also became my processing place for all of that. Really being by myself. When you’re training for a marathon, which is the loneliest part, you just kind of set out for a run, and three hours later you come back. 

'But there’s a real synergy between that and electronic music. It’s kind of hypnotic and becomes like a mantra almost.'

While he explained that an added bonus was that running allowed him to step outside of his status as a celebrity and just be himself, describing it as 'going about your day in the most naked form'.

Despite being one of the most famous faces in the world, he insisted that being in constant motion meant that fans often didn't get the chance to recognise him.

'Well, the main thing is that you’re always moving. You can turn a corner wherever,' he said. 'I think with people who see me, it’s a bit more "Was that…?" rather than, "Oh look it’s him!" And by that time, you’re already gone.'

Harry went on: 'For me, one of the things that can be complicated is that, as an artist, say if you’re a novelist or a musician or a filmmaker, you’re an observer - but when you become a known person, you become the observed. You know you’re still the same, but other people can begin to view you as something different.  

'So something I love so much about running is the simplicity of it. You are the observer once more, and you can go about your day in the most naked form. 

'It’s just you, alone, moving through the world. That’s what I love about it: You don’t need anything, just a pair of shoes.'

Harry has now remerged into the public space after an 'amazing' three years off, performing his first concert in Manchester on Friday to coincide with the release of his fourth album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally.

And the hitmaker is set to tour the new album on his Together Together tour, performing 67 dates in total across seven cities, including residencies in London, Amsterdam and New York City.