Inside Harry Styles' three-year career hiatus: Hitmaker had a string of romances, partied at Glastonbury and rode Lime Bikes as he enjoyed a taste of normality before returning to the music industry

Harry Styles was just 16 years old when he was propelled to unimaginable heights of stardom as one fifth of boyband One Direction. 

Since then his life has been anything but ordinary as he went on to pave the way for his own successful solo career with his fourth album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally set for release on March 6. 

In 2023, after playing 173 shows on his Love On Tour tour the Grammy winner finally decided it was time for a break. 

While most young adults may perhaps take a gap year prior to starting their careers, Harry has done it backwards, choosing to go away for three years while he entered his thirties and just have fun, enjoying a string of romances before finding new love with his now partner Zoe Kravitz. 

Describing it as his 'yes' era, Harry has now remerged into public space, explaining that he used the time off to say yes to plans with friends, travel, and enjoy being part of an audience again, rather than the star on the stage. 

And as the showman celebrates his 32nd birthday on Sunday, here's how Harry finally took a step back to just 'live the human experience'. 

After one X Factor audition changed his life forever, the singer from Holmes Chapel in Cheshire became the ultimate teenage heartthrob alongside his bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and the late Liam Payne. 

During their time together they won five Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards , over three billion YouTube views, 50 million records sold worldwide and are estimated to be worth an incredible $130million.

It seemed things couldn't get any crazier for Harry. But his life in the band was just the beginning. 

After the band split in 2016, Harry went on to release his debut self-titled solo album and his first single Sign Of The Times peaked at number one on the UK singles chart and earned him a Brit Award. 

His second album Fine Line (2019), which featured hits including Watermelon Sugar and Golden, won him his first solo Grammy as well as his second Brit Award.

In 2022 he was back again with Harry's House which won him Album of The Year at both the MTV VMAs and the Grammys. 

During this time the singer also enjoyed a high profile romance with director Olivia Wilde from early 2021 after they bonded on the set of her movie Don't Worry Darling.

The pair split in 2022, but the pair reportedly have 'no bad blood between them' as a source insisted that they mutually ended the relationship.

Later in March 2023, Harry sparked romance rumours with Emily Ratajkowski after the two were seen enjoying a passionate smooch in Tokyo. 

After being delayed due to Covid, he then hit the road for his Love On Tour global tour. 

Hitting 172 dates over 22 months, Harry jetted across the world selling over five million tickets and making history with 15 consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden. 

It's no surprise the singer needed a break. 

Returning to public life last week after announcing his new album and release of his new single Aperture, Harry described his three years off as 'amazing'. 

'I did a lot of traveling just for fun which was really nice. I think because I'd been touring for a lot of my life. I think I'd got really used to missing a lot of things with friends and stuff.

'You know whether it was like invites and stuff, I think I'd got really used to saying no to things because I just wasn't able to go to a lot of things.

'Last year I just had a real start of the year where I was like "I'm going to say yes to everything this year and if my friend invites me somewhere and it sounds at all fun then I'm just going to say yes and do that until that stops being a good idea.'

Reflecting on the time out he told Capital FM host Jordan North: 'It's just kind of like been so positive for me to just go do that.'

He might be one of the biggest popstars in the world. But away from the sequined jumpsuits and bright lights, Harry lives an incredibly low key life. 

Often seen casually riding a Lime Bike around London, in the last year Harry has popped up in the most unexpected of places. 

From Glastonbury, to running Tokyo and Berlin Marathon, and even popping up in a cap and shades at the Pope's conclave in Rome, he has certainly made the most of his free schedule.

He has also enjoyed a number of romances after he dated actress Taylor Russell for 14-months before their split in May 2024. 

Friends claimed the couple opted to end the relationship after spending time together in the Japan on their final trip away together. 

It came after a 'besotted' Styles was said to be ready to start a family with the Canadian actress.

Speaking in March before their split, a source told the Daily Mail: 'Harry feels as if he has lived ten lifetimes already, but one thing is certain – his 30s will be nothing like his 20s.

'He has experienced all the fame anyone could ever want. He is now ready for the next chapter.

'He is in love with Taylor. He wants a family with her and this is the next phase of his life.'

After his split from Taylor, the singer sent tongues wagging after he was spotted on a burger date at Five Guys with Olivia Dean. 

However it was never confirmed that they were dating and the duo were said to be just getting to know each other as they share a lot in common. 

Then in 2025, Harry's love life hit headlines again when he was spotted snogging in the VIP area at Glastonbury. 

Partying into the early hours, he was seen getting very close to a mystery woman who was later revealed as producer Ella Kenny. 

A source told The Sun at the time: 'Harry and Ella had fun together at Glastonbury and shared a kiss on the dancefloor.

'They had a good time in the moment but it doesn't mean it will evolve into anything. They just got on and had a snog.'

Yet after his summer dalliances, Harry appears to have found love with Zoe Kravitz after they were first spotted holding hands last August.

Keeping it low key, the pair spent Christmas together in Harry's home town and were later spotted at the services while driving back down to London together.  

Appearing on Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2 on Friday the star spoke about how important normality is for him and valuing the human experience. 

'I think because when I first started touring and stuff we spent a lot of time in hotel rooms and I think the feeling becomes like "oh I can't do things".

'I then started doing more things, and I was like, "Oh, this is 1. great for me and 2. totally fine." And you know most people you meet out are wonderful.'

He continued: 'I think you can definitely choose to kind of shut yourself off from the world and it's been so wonderful for me and it's something that is really important to me to stay in the universe. 

'Especially I think if you're trying to write and make music about ultimately the human experience. It's hard if you're not living a very human experience, you know?'

He added: 'I used to drive around London everywhere and I think in the last few years when I've stopped doing that, it's like even the parts of the city that I've discovered that you miss if you're driving everywhere.

'You know, you find a little coffee shop that you wouldn't have seen otherwise and all these things that if you allow yourself to be more open to it you're kind of rewarded.'

As well as travelling, spending time in Berlin, Italy and Ibiza, the star has also used the time to fall in love with music again. 

After being used to being the headline act, Harry has explained he has used this time to get back on the other side and be in the audience. 

He said: 'I think being with people and being on the other side of the audience experience than I'm used to being on has been the most important thing for me. 

'It's been a massive reminder of how special it is to be in a crowd experiencing live music, or be in a dark pit with people dancing. 

'It's been a really beautiful reminder for me that that you know at shows whether I'm on stage or off the stage, we're all here for the same thing.'

Revealing how it inspired his upcoming album he said: 'I think when you're touring all the time, like most friends that I know who are touring all the time, you just end up going to less shows.

'And even when you do go, there's part of it that feels like you're like a spy or something.

'You're kind of watching it in this strange way. And I think being able to go to a show and really just enjoy it and kind of immerse myself in being an audience member is the thing that influenced why I wanted to make this album.'

So what has Harry learned? 

The singer has described the title of his new album Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally to be almost like 'a life mantra'. 

He explained: 'I think like loving and being moving through your life with love and taking a break every now and again to have some fun I think is a really good way to approach your life. 

'That's what I felt like I did the last couple years and it led to positive changes in my life.'