He has spent almost half of his life in the public eye after being thrust into the spotlight following an X Factor audition aged 16 and Harry Styles, who is now one of the most globally beloved solo artists, has certainly made his mark during that time.
As he celebrates his 30th birthday, we take a look back at the story of Harry’s life, from soaring to stratospheric stardom to his influence on fashion, foray into acting and the string of A-list romances which have inspired his music.
After being put through the X Factor audition process by his mother Anne Twist, the British singer-songwriter originally sang for Simon Cowell and the other judges as a solo act, showing off his vocal cords to Train’s Hey Soul Sister.
However, the track fell flat and it looked like Harry’s chances of making it may be over before they had begun, as Simon brought the performance to an abrupt end.
But after being given a second chance, Harry performed an acapella version of Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely – and his journey to superstardom began.
Despite trying out as a solo singer, the X Factor judges – namely Simon – had other ideas for Harry, as he made plans to put together a boyband. Picking Harry, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson from the bootcamp round, the worldwide phenomenon of One Direction was born.
Harry arguably stood out from the start, with his curly locks and cheeky grin he became an immediate hit with viewers, who watched the band make it all the way to the final, before finishing in third place.
Although the group didn’t win the show, there is no doubt they have gone on to be the ITV talent show’s biggest success story.
They waited nine months before releasing their debut single, What Makes You Beautiful, which topped the charts in the UK and reaching No.4 in the U.S.
During his time in the band, Harry co-wrote several of the band’s hits, including their debut single, Story Of My Life and Live While We’re Young. The band sold 70 million records globally and are still one of the best-selling boy bands in the world to date.
As well as making headlines for there catchy tunes and chart success, the boys also were making a name for themselves due to increasing attention from their growing legion of fans as well as some high-profile romances.
Most notably for Harry at the time, was his May-December romance with the late Caroline Flack, whom he met during an appearance on the X Factor spin-off series she hosted alongside Olly Murs, Extra Factor.
The relationship set tongues wagging due to the age gap between Harry, then 17, and Caroline, who was 31 at the time. The romance was short-lived and it was reported that Harry was the one who called time on the relationship, citing that they’d be better as friends.
During his time in the band, Harry also memorably dated fellow pop sensation Taylor Swift, setting both of their loyal fanbases alight with speculation after they were pictured walking hand-in-hand through Central Park, New York in December 2012.
However, their relationship was not long-lasting after they reportedly split following a row during a romantic getaway to the Caribbean just a month later, with an insider claiming that Harry ‘said something he shouldn’t have’.
The following year, Harry was romantically linked to supermodel Kendall Jenner, with the two appearing like a genetically-blessed match made in heaven.
Despite them being spotted looking cosy again two years later on a yacht in Anguilla and again at the Met Gala in 2019, as well as putting on a flirty display on James Corden’s The Late Late Show, the two are said to ‘just be good friends’.
As Harry and his bandmates found their feet in the industry, they continued to ride the fame wave following the release of their debut record, Up All Night, and second studio album, Take Me Home.
Subsequent albums included Midnight Memories, which sparked their first stadium tour, Where We Are, which sold out in minutes and more shows had to be added due to ‘overwhelming demand’.
Their final album as a fivesome was Four and they became the only group in the Billboard 200 albums chart history to have their first four albums debut a No.1.
Despite their undeniable success, it marked the end of the road for Zayn, who announced following the release of the album that he would be leaving the band, sparking a wave of grief among the band’s fanbase.
The following year after releasing their album Made in the A.M, it was announced the band would go on indefinite hiatus in 2016 to they could work on ‘individual projects’, with plans to regroup in the future.
It was suggest that Harry was the driving force behind the decision to take a break with insiders claiming he didn’t want to ‘exhaust the fanbase’. Fans hoped the band would reunite for their 10-year anniversary in 2021, but they are so far yet to work together again.
Harry was the last member of the band to release any new music, after joining forces with Columbia Records to work on his solo project, the singer released his self-titled debut album in May 2017.
He ditched One Direction’s core pop sound and moved to a focus on rock and folk influences, which has become the hallmark of his three solo albums.
Harry’s first solo attempt received favourable reviews from critics and the album was name in several ‘best album of 2017’ lists. The album debuted at No.1 in several countries including the UK, the U.S. and Australia.
At the same time, Harry, who has always been open about his desire to appear on the big screen, made his acting debut in Christopher Nolan’s war epic, Dunkirk.
While some may assume Harry was given a leg-up in the acting industry due to his singing success, Nolan has previously noted that Harry was recruited in an ‘old-fashioned way’, after he sent in an audition tape and impressed the team.
He said: ‘Harry shied away from being a ‘star’ in it. He’s a humble guy who didn’t want attention. He enjoyed the idea of not carrying it; that he was part of an ensemble.’
Following the reception from his first album, his sophomore offering was hotly anticipated and included hits such as Falling, Watermelon Sugar and Golden.
It was supported by his worldwide stadium tour – Love On Tour – which was postponed from 2020 to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The tour ended up being two years long and Harry played an incredible 169 shows.
Some of the songs on Fine Line were said to be influenced by his relationship with French model Camille Rowe, which lasted for around a year.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, Harry admitted that he asked his ex-girlfriend if he could include a voicemail she had sent him on the track, to properly portray how he was feeling at the time the relationship broke down.
It has been reported that the end of the romance ‘heavily impacted’ Harry, who had apparently been so serious about Camille that she had met his mother.
Speaking to Rolling Stone following the completion of the album, Harry said: ‘It’s all about having sex and feeling sad.’
The creation of Fine Line also marked Harry’s style evolution, while in the band he was always the most directional dresser, opting for a rock-inspired collection of leather jackets, unbuttoned silk shirts and a shaggy mop of hair, it was only after he left the band he truly began to hone his aesthetic.
After several public outings in head-to-toe Gucci, it was announced in 2018 that Harry was the new face of the fashion house’s tailoring campaign.
After cementing his name as someone to watch in the fashion industry, it was during his promotional tour for his second album that things really took a turn.
Harry, who has always been ambiguous about his sexuality, leant into more feminine ‘gender-bender’ dressing and often sported skirts, dresses and painted nails.
Harry’s long-term stylist, Harry Lambert, told Vogue a the time: ‘It’s time to try something new and hopefully shock and inspire in a different way. I know the fans love his outfits, so hopefully they will love what’s to come.’
In 2019, Harry attended the Met Gala in a sheer black pussybow blouse, complete with tailored trousers and one pearl drop earring.
It was a sign of things to come for the star, who adopted a wardrobe of wide-legged trousers, big-collared shirts and a vibrant colour pallet.
Midway through his two-year tour, Harry released his third studio album, Harry’s House. Harry has previously touched on his relaxed attitude to making music, which includes taking psychedelics and listening to Paul McCartney in the sun.
And whatever he was doing, it worked, as the debut single, As It Was, shot to the top of the charts in both the UK and the U.S., debuting at No.1 and staying at the top in America for a jaw-dropping 15 weeks. The four-longest running No.1 in history.
With four tracks from the album concurrently charting within the U.S. top 10, he became the first British solo artist to achieve this feat.
Harry, who headlined Coachella the same year, sweeped the board during awards season, picking up gongs at all of the major music ceremonies.
At the Grammys, Harry’s house won Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, it also won British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards.
In 2022, Harry also tipped his toe back into the acting pond, as he starred in psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman, which tells the story of an officer who begins an illicit same-sex affair in 1950’s Britain.
While Harry’s performance in DWD received mixed reviews from critics, who claimed his performance ‘fell flat’ opposite leading lady Florence Pugh, it wasn’t the on-screen drama which got fans talking.
During filming it was revealed that the film’s director Olivia Wilde had broken off her relationship with the father of her children and Ted Lasso actor Jason Sudeikis and her relationship with Harry had blossomed.
As well as speculation surrounding the timeline of the beginning of their romance, the off-screen theatrics continued when it was claimed that Harry and Florence had also shared a kiss, and she was unhappy about his connection with Olivia.
When Olivia and Harry were spotted holding hands at a wedding, rumors started to swirl that she had cheated on her fiancé with the British superstar, however, she has repeatedly denied that she was unfaithful to Jason.
She told Vanity Fair: ‘The complete horses**t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate.’
The situation came to a head at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, when the cast took to the red carpet amid whispers about the state of relations between the group.
Florence refused to do any press for the film at the festival, claiming that it was because she was too busy filming the sequel to Dune. Later attempting to correct the narrative, Florence praised the movie following its release saying she was ‘grateful to all who made it possible’. Harry never spoke out on the situation.
Their relationship ended a few months later, with insiders reporting that they were at ‘different points of their lives’.
Harry’s tour schedule apparently impacted the romance, as he resumed the European leg of Love And Tour and the couple broke it off.
Following the conclusion of his long-running tour in Rome this summer, Harry has been taking some time out of the spotlight.
During this time he struck up a romance with actress Taylor Russell, with pals claiming that the new couple are ‘smitten’.
He reportedly ‘sees a future’ with the Bones and All actress, 29, as their romance is heating up since the pair started dating over the summer.
‘Harry is head over heels for Taylor,’ a source revealed to Us Weekly before noting that he ‘loves spending as much time with her as he can’.
The insider claimed: ‘Things are very serious, and Harry definitely sees a future with Taylor.’
They were first romantically linked after they were spotted enjoying an art gallery date in London in June last year.
The star even took the drastic measure off shaving off his signature locks in the hopes of securing a few weeks of privacy for the couple, according to sources.
The move created mass hysteria among his fans, who mourned the loss of his curly hair.
