Harry Styles Has Had Quite The Transformation
Pop sensation. Fashion icon. Movie star. Is there anything Harry Styles can't do?
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00:00Pop sensation, fashion icon, movie star — is there anything Harry Styles can't do?
00:06Before he was one of the world's most popular musicians, Harry Styles was a young boy who
00:10grew up in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England. Born on February 1, 1994, the son of Anne
00:15Twist and Desmond Styles had a humble upbringing alongside his older sister, writer-podcaster
00:20Gemma Styles. When the singer-songwriter was just seven years old, his parents divorced.
00:25Along with attending school, a 14-year-old Harry made some dough at a local bakery.
00:29When One Direction was at the peak of their fame, Harry visited the bakery while filming
00:33the 2013 movie, One Direction, This Is Us. He even hopped back behind the counter and
00:37served some customers, who were likely very shocked to see the star return to his minimum
00:41wage roots.
00:42Meanwhile, Harry began exploring his musical talents as the lead singer of White Eskimo.
00:47A week after Harry joined the band, the group won their talent's Battle of the Bands competition.
00:51After seeing the way her son excelled on stage, proud mom Anne encouraged him to audition
00:55for The X Factor. Harry admitted to Vogue,
00:57I went to the audition to find out if I could sing, or if my mom was just being nice to
01:01me."
01:02Little did he know, this audition would change the course of his life.
01:05I'm Harry Styles, okay?"
01:10Harry Styles was just 16 when he auditioned for The X Factor. The fresh-faced teen was
01:14already rocking his signature curls with undeniable charisma the moment he stepped on stage. An
01:19extended cut of Styles' audition revealed that he first sang Train's Hey Soul Sister,
01:23before wowing the judges by belting out an acapella rendition of Stevie Wonder's Isn't
01:27She Lovely.
01:28He faced elimination, but the judges offered him the chance to continue with four other
01:32boys as a group. One Direction itself would finish in third place, but with a growing
01:36and dedicated fan base before even leaving the X Factor stage, their success only skyrocketed
01:41from there.
01:42Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Styles himself became international
01:47heartthrobs overnight, taking over the world in an unstoppable way.
01:51Wendy's lead single, What Makes You Beautiful, was a defining pop sensation of the early
01:552010s, and it helped the band's debut album, Up All Night, snag the number one position
01:59on the Billboard 200 chart in 2012. According to Billboard, One Direction's six-year run
02:04saw them release five albums, land two Saturday Night Live performances, sell out arenas and
02:09stadiums, and win several awards. They even shot a Pepsi commercial with Drew Brees.
02:13Styles, then 18, was as cheeky as ever, but quickly maturing into an adult with a more
02:18polished look to his dark curls.
02:20By 2014, One Direction reached unprecedented amounts of fame. The boys we met in 2010 had
02:26quickly become young men, and with their newfound maturity came a more rugged look. Gone were
02:30the days of bow ties and suspenders, being replaced by tattoos, scruffy beards, and ripped
02:35jeans. The 1D singers were channeling their inner rock stars with bops like Midnight Memories
02:39and folk rock ballads like Story of My Life.
02:42As their sex appeal increased, the public's fascination with their personal lives grew
02:45as well. Harry Styles, whose hair had grown from coiffed curls to an unruly mane, had
02:50developed an admittedly unfair reputation as a womanizer, as his relationships with
02:54the likes of Taylor Swift and Kendall Jenner made headlines, but he was seemingly taking
02:58the criticism in stride. Instead, the singer focused on touring with One Direction and
03:03taming his hair with various headscarves.
03:05Styles also began exploring his individuality through fashion. It started with a few hats
03:09and a patterned suit here and there, with the heartthrob gradually moving on to even
03:14His most notable fashion moment during this time was at the 2015 AMAs. Styled by collaborator
03:19Harry Lambert, Styles wore a stunning floral Gucci suit with flared pants and his long
03:23hair messily brushing his shoulders. He had never taken such a leap. Needless to say,
03:28the suit sent the internet into hysteria. Some were supportive, while others made means
03:32comparing the suit to their grandma's couch. However, this would only be the beginning
03:36of Styles' fashion journey.
03:38After five albums and their fair share of drama, One Direction reached a turning point.
03:42In The AM was released in November 2015, fresh off the heels of Zayn Malik's departure
03:46that March, and the Drag Me Down hitmakers would eventually announce their hiatus.
03:50Is anybody thinking of going solo?
03:56Harry Styles graced their final album cover, with hair grown past his shoulders, with a
03:59sideswept look. However, he soon shocked the world by chopping his shaggy curls for charity,
04:04debuting the cut with an Instagram photo of him holding his own braided ponytail.
04:08While fans were no doubt heartbroken about saying goodbye to 1D, there was one big silver
04:12lining. The hiatus allowed each member to explore a solo career.
04:16Styles' self-titled debut was released in May 2017 to high anticipation from fans and
04:21critics alike. The dreamy, rock-inspired album shot straight to number one, birthing tracks
04:25like the epic piano ballad, Sign of the Times, and the energetic rock tune, Kiwi.
04:30Not only would this album establish Styles as a soloist, but it would reveal a softer,
04:34more alternative side to the singer, who found inspiration in 70s rock. In an interview with
04:38USA Today, Styles likened writing the album to therapy, saying,
04:42"...it's so much easier saying something to an instrument than it is to a person."
04:46While Harry Styles is best known as a musician, both for his work in One Direction and as
04:50a solo artist, he's pretty accomplished outside of the music world, too. At the same time
04:54as he embarked on his solo music career, the multi-talented star also dabbled in the film
04:59industry.
05:00In 2017, Styles starred in the Christopher Nolan war drama, Dunkirk. The film itself
05:04was met with high praise, sitting at 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Making an acting debut
05:09in a war movie is no easy feat, but Styles managed to pull it off, with a USA Today critic
05:14praising his performance, saying,
05:15"...he had a surprising amount of grit and pathos."
05:18Though Styles focused on music for the few years following his Dunkirk debut, he found
05:22himself back into acting in 2020, the British hard-throwing film Don't Worry Darling, which
05:26also stars Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan. The film's director, Olivia Wilde,
05:31She also opened up on Instagram about how much she enjoyed working with Styles on set.
05:35She praised Styles' work in the film, saying,
05:37"...he infused every scene with a nuanced sense of humanity."
05:40Despite Don't Worry Darling only being Styles' second film, he was already proving to be
05:44as powerful an actor as he is a singer.
05:46"...I'm so sorry. I don't have to lie to you anymore."
05:52Between touring his debut album, promoting Dunkirk, and canoodling then-girlfriend and
05:56French-American model Camille Rowe, Styles began recording his sophomore album, Fine
06:01The record dropped in December 2019 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The eclectic
06:05soft rock follow-up to Harry Styles feels familiar but is more playful and complex than
06:10his debut.
06:11Styles sings more candidly about love and heartbreak in tracks like Falling, embraces
06:14his identity in Lights Up, and worships the female form with a cheeky watermelon sugar.
06:20Styles tapped into a different side of himself this time around, admitting to Zane Lowe that
06:23he also occasionally took mushrooms while writing.
06:26I had this moment where I was like, I would rather not do it than do it and it not be
06:30fun."
06:31This might explain some of his more lively, musical-theater-like tracks such as Treat
06:35People With Kindness and Sunflower Vol. 6. The Guardian and Rolling Stone, among other
06:39publications, praised Styles for this experimental record, and Fine Line was nominated for three
06:44Grammys and several Brit Awards.
06:46When Styles took home his first Grammy for Best Pop Performance for Watermelon Sugar
06:49in 2021, the singer wore a plaid yellow blazer, brown corduroys, and a lavender boa. The award
06:55was a huge victory for Styles, who admittedly felt more freedom to express himself with
06:59this record. He told Vogue,
07:00"'I think with the second album I let go of the fear of getting it wrong and it was really
07:04joyous and really free. I think with music it's so important to evolve, and that extends
07:09to clothes and videos and all that stuff."
07:12Not even a global pandemic could slow down Harry Styles. In late 2020, he made history
07:16as the first man to grace the cover of Vogue solo. The singer, who's pictured blowing a
07:20balloon in the middle of a grassy field, was styled in a fitted Gucci blazer and lace dress,
07:25with chunky rings and loose, tousled hair. It served as a beautiful example of Styles
07:29embracing femininity and fluidity, and in his interview, the musician expressed not
07:33wanting to be limited by traditional gender norms.
07:36Styles said of the iconic fashion moment,
07:38"'Clothes are there to have fun with and experiment with and play with. There's so much joy to
07:42be had in playing with clothes. I've never really thought too much about what it means.
07:45It just becomes this extended part of creating something.'"
07:48Friend and then-creative director for Gucci, Alessandro Michele, told Vogue,
07:52He's really in touch with his feminine side because it's something natural, and he's a
07:55big inspiration to a younger generation. I think that he's a revolutionary."
07:59In 2021, Harry Styles shifted his attention to the beauty realm with the release of Pleasing.
08:05Despite the suggestive nature of its name, Pleasing is described as a life brand that
08:08specializes in nail polish, skincare, cosmetics, and even apparel for everyone. The colorful
08:14and inclusive brand was dreamt up in a moment of gratitude during quarantine and launched
08:18that November, with its first products being biodegradable nail polish and serums for your
08:22eyes, lips, and face.
08:24Styles explained to Dazed,
08:25"...I really think that the essence of Pleasing is finding those little moments of joy and
08:29showing them to people."
08:30The brand's tagline, Find Your Pleasing, fits perfectly with his vision to empower others
08:34through individuality. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the singer-turned-businessman
08:38explained,
08:39"...starting the brand with beauty felt exciting because creating great products is a unique
08:43way to make people feel good. I didn't want to make products to mask people. I wanted
08:47to highlight them and make them feel beautiful."
08:49To absolutely no one's surprise, Pleasing's first launch sold out quickly and garnered
08:53positive reviews from the likes of Allure. By January 2023, Business of Fashion dubbed
08:58it a bona fide empire. Though he isn't certain where the brand will be in a few years, Styles
09:02was optimistic and willing to learn. He admitted to Dazed,
09:05"...that's what makes it exciting to me."
09:07Harry Styles was very busy in 2022, starting with Coachella that April. He headlined the
09:12festival in front of a massive 100,000-person crowd to tease new music and usher in a new
09:17era.
09:18Styles sang some crowd favorites as well as three new tracks, Boyfriends, Late Night Talking,
09:22and his then-new mega-hit single, As It Was. He wore sequined jumpsuits and feathered coats
09:27that perfectly captured his 70s pop rock sound. Every look he wore was designed by Gucci,
09:32including the pink cowboy-inspired metallic set with his initials embroidered on the backside
09:36of the pants.
09:37During both performances, Styles surprised the audience with a special guest. While Weekend
09:412 saw Lizzo join her pal for a truly iconic rendition of I Will Survive, Weekend 1 marked
09:46a surreal, full-circle moment for the British hitmaker. The stage went dark as the beginning
09:50notes of Shania Twain's Man, I Feel Like a Woman filled the air. Suddenly, Twain herself
09:54appeared on stage, and the two performed the hit together to roaring applause, before singing
09:58You're Still the One. Twain later told Today it was a career highlight for her, while Styles,
10:03who grew up listening to her, admitted to the morning show,
10:05"...I'd love to say it was for the crowd, but it's just for me."
10:09Harry Styles' third album, Harry's House, dropped in May 2022, and the cover immediately
10:13signaled a delicate shift away from the fuzzy, pink aesthetics of his two previous records.
10:18This time, things appeared more muted, with Styles' home literally upside down, prefacing
10:22some turbulence the singer would discuss on the album. However, much of Harry's House
10:26also features upbeat psychedelic themes, horns, and synths. The New York Times called the
10:30singer a, quote, "...dreamy cypher," which couldn't be a more accurate way to describe
10:34the intimate world Styles built here. With singles like the inescapable As It Was, which
10:39broke records on Spotify and the Billboard Hot 100, and Late Night Talking, Styles invites
10:44listeners into his mind.
10:45This era also brought out a more confident and whimsical side of Styles as an artist,
10:49crediting unplanned time off during quarantine for allowing him to work on himself in therapy
10:53and reprioritize his life. He told Zane Lowe that he was no longer judging his happiness
10:58based on how successful a song was after release.
11:00"...putting out the first single from this album was far and away the most relaxed I've
11:07ever felt."
11:08The record-breaking album debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and on the Billboard 200 chart
11:12and was critically acclaimed. It even helped Styles make history for selling out 15 shows
11:17at Madison Square Garden. Harry's House was also nominated for six Grammys.
11:22Harry Styles' interest in fashion bloomed in 2022. Somewhere between Coachella, promoting
11:27his new album, and continuing his international love on tour, the musician collaborated on
11:31a menswear campaign with Gucci. A longtime fan of the brand, Styles chose to build Ha
11:35Ha Ha with Alessandra Michela as his, quote, dream wardrobe, according to Esquire.
11:40The name is a combination of Styles' own initials and those of the former Gucci creative director,
11:44thus the repeated combination of Ha. The creative menswear line officially launched that October
11:49with 25 looks fit for everyday wear. The unveiling, which took place in Milan, revealed that Ha
11:54Ha Ha is exactly what one would expect of a fashion collaboration with Styles. It's
11:58colorful, with both animal prints and 70s aesthetics, with a mix of English and Italian
12:02fabrics tailor-made for Gucci, as reported by Vogue Business.
12:06In 2021, Harry Styles surprised Marvel fans with a cameo at the end of Eternals. He appears
12:11in the after-credits scene as Eros, Thanos' brother, wearing heavy armor over a red jumpsuit.
12:17President of Marvel Kevin Feige has already excitedly teased that Eros will eventually
12:20be a regular. He later starred as Jack, a doting and hardworking husband in a seemingly
12:25perfect 1950s-like town, in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. The psychological thriller
12:30in September 2022, but made headlines more for inescapable rumors surrounding alleged
12:35behind-the-scenes drama between Wilde and Florence Pugh than for the movie itself. Wilde
12:39and members of the DWD crew denied the reports. Amid the ongoing scrutiny, Styles' acting
12:44chops were questioned by his harshest critics, though once the media frenzy died down, he
12:48received some praise for his performance, as did the film, which performed well at the
12:52box office and on HBO Max. Shortly after, Styles' second film of the year premiered
12:57at the Toronto International Film Festival. Directed by Michael Grandej, My Policeman
13:01is an independent movie that tells the story of a love triangle featuring a forbidden queer
13:05relationship in 1950s England. While this project also faced controversy stemming from
13:10ongoing speculation about Styles' sexuality, the cast was awarded the TIFF Tribute Award
13:14for performance. Ultimately, the drama worked out in Styles' favor, as he was officially
13:19an in-demand actor. However, he told Rolling Stone that his heart lies with music, saying,
13:23I don't imagine I'd do a movie for a while.
13:25You know what you wanted the whole time, that's why you asked me here, isn't it?"
13:29Of course, we couldn't finish off without addressing Harry Styles' headlining making
13:33relationship with Olivia Wilde. It's assumed that these two met on the set of Don't Worry,
13:37Darling! sometime in late 2020. Coincidentally, Wilde's breakup with ex-fiancée Jason Sudeikis
13:42from months prior went public around this time. The following January, Styles and Wilde
13:47were spotted for the first time walking hand-in-hand as they attended a wedding per Page Six. They
13:51wouldn't be seen together again until that June, though Wilde didn't shy away from praising
13:55her new boo on Instagram in between.
13:57While she and Styles themselves would remain low-key about their romance for the entirety
14:01of their nearly two-year relationship, a media frenzy full of paparazzi snaps, unsubstantiated
14:06reports, and controversy ensued. Certain circles of Styles' fans on social media slammed the
14:11duo's 10-year age gap and relationship timeline, the latter of which Wilde responded to in
14:15Vanity Fair in October 2022. That August, Styles opened up about the hate they'd received.
14:21He told Rolling Stone,
14:22"'Can you imagine going on a second date with someone and being like, okay, there's this
14:26corner of the thing, and they're going to say this, and it's going to be really crazy,
14:29and they're going to be really mean, and it's not real. But anyway, what do you want to
14:33eat?'
14:34By November 2022, people announced that Styles and Wilde were taking a break, but that they
14:38would remain friends.
14:40So what's next for the pop star? Only time will tell, but through it all, Styles is dedicated
14:44to remaining humble. Despite his continuously growing success, for example, he still feels
14:49grounded and finds happiness in his projects. He told radio host Tonya Radd from On Air
14:53with Ryan Seacrest back in 2020,
14:55"...I just put a lot more emphasis on trying to find the balance and trying to do what
14:58makes me happy, rather than trying to work out what I'm supposed to be doing."
15:02Clearly, he's doing something right. With a flourishing music and film career, along
15:06with a history of records with One Direction, Harry Styles is one of the most popular and
15:10talented stars of his generation.