Harry Styles is on the cover of this month’s “Rolling Stone” where he opens up about a whole host of subjects, including his failed relationship with Taylor Swift, his ex-bandmate Zayn Malik, his new single, the future of One Direction and more.
Among the revelations:
- Harry opens up about paps catching him and Taylor on a date in Central Park, noting, “When I see photos from that day. I think: Relationships are hard, at any age. And adding in that you don’t really understand exactly how it works when you’re 18, trying to navigate all that stuff didn’t make it easier.” He adds, “It was a learning experience for sure. But at the heart of it — I just wanted it to be a normal date."
- There’s been lots of speculation that Taylor wrote “Style” and “Out of the Woods” about Harry, and he’s totally fine with that. “I’m lucky if everything [we went through] helped create those songs,” he says. “In writing songs about stuff like that, I like tipping a hat to the time together. You're celebrating the fact it was powerful and made you feel something, rather than 'this didn't work out, and that's bad.’”
- Harry felt disappointed that Zayn had bad things to day about his time in 1D. “I think it’s a shame he felt that way…but I never wish anything but luck to anyone doing what they love,” he offers. “If you’re not enjoying something and need to do something else, you absolutely should do that. I’m glad he’s doing what he likes, and good luck to him.”
- He defends pop music fans, arguing, “Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say.” He adds, “How can you say young girls don’t get it?… Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”
- His new single “Sign of the Times” is not what you think it’s about. “The song is written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there’s a complication,” he explains. “The mother is told, ‘The child is fine, but you’re not going to make it.’ The mother has five minutes to tell the child, ‘Go forth and conquer.'”
- As for the future of One Direction, Harry says. “I love the band, and would never rule out anything in the future. He offers, “The band changed my life, gave me everything…[but] I wanted to step up,” Regarding his decision to go solo he shares, “There were songs I wanted to write and record, and not just have it be ‘Here’s a demo I wrote.’ Every decision I’ve made since I was 16 was made in a democracy. I felt like it was time to make a decision about the future…and maybe I shouldn’t rely on others.”