Harry Styles reveals how Billie Eilish helped his solo career
"She just totally broke the spell for me"
Last updated 17th May 2022
Harry Styles has certainly been busy following One Direction's hiatus in 2016, releasing two solo albums so far with his latest release 'Harry's House' due to come out on Friday 20th May. However, the singer has also opened up about the difficulty he faced transitioning from being one-fifth of the teenage boy band to being a solo artist on his own path, and has now shared how Billie Eilish inspired him.
Since stepping into the spotlight in 2010, Harry has grown up a lot and matured as an artist. While speaking to Zane Lowe about his current projects, Harry talked about how he has changed as a musician, saying: "I definitely had a really big moment, I think, when Billie Eilish kind of first blew up. I think being in the band it was fun and exciting because we were young. And I had a moment, seeing her do this at such a young age, where I felt like, ‘I’m not that young anymore.'
"For a while, it was like, ‘How do you play that game, of like, remaining exciting?’ And I just had a moment where I felt like, ‘OK, we’re not the same thing.’ And in the same vein of ‘You’re not always going to be the kind of young thing,’ I was like, ‘OK, I would really like to think about who I would like to be as a musician'."
20-year-old Billie gained international success in 2017 with her extended play 'Don't Smile at Me', and her debut solo album 'When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?' further solidified her success. The album included hit song 'Bad Guy', and was one of the best-selling albums of 2019.
The pair don't know each other personally, although they have run "into each other a couple of times" and Harry added: "I’m kind of like, from afar, incredibly thankful to her because I feel like she represented something to me there.
"It felt like (she) came in in a way that was like, ‘Don’t worry about being this thing, ever.’ Because, you know, she’s a lot younger than me, and there’s no point in me going ‘OK, how do I get back in? She just totally broke the spell for me, in a way that I’m very grateful for."
You can hear all of Harry Styles' biggest songs on Forth 1.
Take a look though some of Harry Styles' best outfits:
2010: One Direction
After initially auditioning as solo candidates, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and the late Liam Payne were put together by Simon Cowell as One Direction. On stage, the teenagers were heavily styled by The X Factor producers but off stage, 16-year-old Harry joined his bandmates in wearing typically teen-friendly tracksuits, hoodies and gilets.
2010: Harry's animal hat
Harry sent teens around the UK crazy when he rocked an adorable fluffy animal hat outside The X Factor. Of course, sales for the hat went through the roof when it was discovered to be from River Island!
2011: Blazers and jeans
The One Direction revolution swept the globe and the boys' popularity skyrocketed. They signed to Simon Cowell's Syco label, embarked on The X Factor tour and released their debut single 'What Makes You Beautiful'. In 2011, Harry Styles tended to stick to the blazer and jeans combination and of course, always matching his fellow bandmates.
2012: More blazers
In 2012, Harry's signature curls remained and so did his love for a blazer. The One Direction stars attended countless award shows and wore countless blazers!
2013: Patterned shirts at London Fashion Week
In 2013, it was clear that 19-year-old Harry was beginning to break the boyband mould. The teen heartthrob was expressing himself with the occasional patterned shirt, Chelsea boots and skinny jeans. Harry sat front row at London Fashion Week and even won a British Fashion Award!
2014: Long hair and bigger hats
As One Direction embarked on their worldwide stadium 'Where We Are' tour, Harry continued to experiment with his fashion and was well away from his teenage 'laid back' style. Harry was rarely seen without a hat for his longer locks.
2015: Harry Styles in THAT suit
In March 2015, One Direction announced that Zayn Malik would be leaving the band and subsequently breaking Directioners' hearts all over the land. Luckily, Harry remedied this by continuing his fashion evolution and wearing more prints, patterns and distinctly different looks to the rest of the band. No one will ever forget this Gucci suit the singer wore to the 2015 American Music Awards.
2016: Harry with long hair in Los Angeles
One Direction announced their hiatus in 2016 and released their fifth studio album 'Made In The A.M.'. Harry was pictured at LAX Airport in January 2016 wearing his favourite Saint Laurent camel boots.
2017: Harry's debut album and new style
2017 saw the birth of Harry Styles as a solo artist and the singer's now signature style. After cutting his hair for his acting role in 'Dunkirk', Harry embarked on the promotional tour of his debut album wearing more colour, and heavily aligning himself with the brand he is now synonymous with, Gucci. At the 2017 Aria Awards, the 'Sign Of The Times' singer wore a patterned metallic suit and gold heeled boots.
2018: Harry Styles walking in the footsteps of music legends
In 2018, the 24-year-old was announced as the new face of Gucci's tailoring campaign which was shot in and around a North London chip shop. Later in the year, Harry performed with Fleetwood Mac and also attended a Halloween party dressed as a young Elton John!
2019: Harry Styles at the Met Gala in New York
In 2019, Harry Styles solidified himself as a young fashion icon by co-hosting THE fashion event of the year, the Met Gala. Harry Styles expressed his interpretation of the theme, 'Camp: Notes On Fashion', by confidently flouting stereotypical gender norms (for which he is now famous) on the red carpet in a bespoke Gucci look.
2020: Harry Styles in a trio of looks at the Brit Awards
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Harry Styles attended the 2020 BRIT Awards and wore a trio of perfectly put together outfits during the course of the evening. The 'Fine Line' singer wore a brown suit on the red carpet, a custom-made Gucci lace jumpsuit for his performance of 'Falling' and a bright yellow Marc Jacobs suit to finish the night.
The year concluded with Harry appearing on the cover of Vogue!
2021: Harry Styles at the Grammys
In March, Harry Styles wore custom Gucci to the 63rd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. He wore a purple feather boa on the red carpet and all leather with a green feather boa on stage as he opened the ceremony with a performance of 'Watermelon Sugar'. He won his first Grammy Award for 'Watermelon Sugar' later on in the ceremony.
2021: Harry's suit at The Brit Awards
At The BRIT Awards 2021, Harry repped a brown and cream 70s-inspired Gucci suit, with a matching handbag and trainers. The singer, who picked up the award for Best Single that night, clearly has great taste, as Friends superstar Jennifer Aniston even wore the same outfit as she posed for her cover shoot for InStyle's September issue.
2021: Happy Harryween!
Harry Styles celebrated Halloween 2021 in style, as he performed at his Harryween Fancy Dress Party at Madison Square Garden. The singer donned various styles, from Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, to Pennywise the clown from IT.
2022: Harry Styles headlines Coachella
Harry took to the stage at Coachella festival in California, in April 2022, wearing a rainbow, sequin jump suit.
2022: Harry Styles at the Venice Film Festival
In September 2022, Harry appeared at the 79th Venice International Film Festival to promote his new film Don't Worry Darling. He arrived on the red carpet wearing a navy suit with a light blue shirt with elongated collars.
2022: Harry at the Don't Worry Darling photo call
For the Don't Worry Darling photo call in New York, Harry opted for a smart double-breasted velvet blazer teamed with striped trousers.
2022: Harry at the LA My Policeman premiere
Harry looked dapper in a suit at the Los Angeles premiere of My Policeman, which sees Harry take on the role of Tom Burgess.
2023: Harry at the Grammys
Harry is the king of red carpet looks and his Grammys attire certainly didn't disappoint. He looked flawless in a crystal-covered rainbow jumpsuit for the 2023 ceremony.
2022: Harry performs at the Grammys
For his Grammys performance, Harry donned an incredible Gucci silver fringe sparkling jumpsuit.
2023: Harry with his Grammy Awards
Another 2023 Grammys fit from Harry! He looked cool posing with his awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, as he teamed a sparkly top with a blazer and beige trousers.
2023: Harry Styles at the BRIT Awards
Harry wowed on the red carpet at the 2023 BRIT Awards by wearing a black peplum blazer, flares and an oversized flower choker. The ceremony proved to be an incredible night for Harry, as he scooped four awards - Song of the Year, British Album, Artist and Pop/R&B Act.
2023: Harry performed at the BRIT Awards
Harry delivered an incredible performance at the BRIT Awards as he sang his smash hit 'As It Was'. Harry opted for a sparkly red Gucci jacket for his performance.
2023: Madame Tussauds unveils seven new waxworks of Harry
Madame Tussauds unveiled seven new waxworks of Harry Styles in July 2023. The waxworks feature some of Harry's most iconic outfits and are available to view in Madame Tussauds attractions around the world.
His London waxwork wears an outfit inspired by his fashion choice at the My Policeman premiere in 2022. In Madame Tussauds Berlin, Harry's waxwork sports a pink leather waistcoat and oversized pink fur coat, whilst in New York, he is wearing a rainbow sequined jumpsuit that was made famous by his 2022 Coachella performance.
Harry's 'Love On Tour' looks have provided the inspiration for the outfits in Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Singapore and Sydney. In Amsterdam, Harry's figure sports a pink embroidered, double-breasted suit, in LA he wears a bronze-fringe sequin vest.
Meanwhile, the Singapore attraction sees Harry wear a blue and yellow outfit from the Glasgow 'Love On Tour' show, whilst he sports an electric pink shirt and feather boa from his San Jose concert in Sydney.
As well as pursuing his music career, giving us incredible hits and performing his 'Love On Tour' shows around the world, Harry has also been developing his acting career. The 28-year-old has appeared in several films including Dunkirk and Eternals, as well as upcoming films My Policeman and Don't Worry Darling
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