• February 1, 1994
• Following a suggestion from his mother, Harry Styles auditioned as a solo contestant for the 2010 series of the British singing TV competition The X Factor. He failed to make it beyond boot camp, but guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested the 16-year-old singer team up with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik for the Groups category. Styles suggested the name One Direction to his bandmates, and they reached the final, finishing in third place.
• One Direction became one of the best-selling boy groups of all time. At the peak of their fame, Styles stayed for 20 months at the Hampstead Heath family home of television producer Ben Winston. He slept on a mattress in an attic, living there in secrecy as his fans stood outside a North London house he didn't actually live in. "No one ever found out, really," Winston recalled to Rolling Stone. "Even when we went out for a meal, it's such a sweet family neighborhood, no one dreamed it was actually him. But he made our house a home. And when he moved out, we were gutted."
• When One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Styles embarked on a solo career. He released his first single, "Sign of the Times," in April 2017.
• "As It Was," the lead single of Styles' 2022 album, Harry's Game, spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. It broke the record for the longest-running US #1 by a UK act.
• Styles became the first former X Factor contestant to win a Grammy when he won Best Pop Solo Performance for "Watermelon Sugar."
• Styles made his movie acting debut in the 2017 Christopher Nolan feature Dunkirk. Later film roles include Don't Worry Darling, and My Policeman (both in 2022).
• He dated his Don't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde for two years from late 2020. Styles also had a much-documented romance with Taylor Swift over the winter of 2012-13. The American pop superstar has penned several songs inspired by their relationship, including "Style," "Out Of The Woods," "All You Had To Do Was Stay" and "I Know Places."
• Styles splits his time between London and LA. When he's in California, the English singer buys imported British food as he misses the taste of home. The grub that he loves from his home country includes Branston Pickle and Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles.
• Styles is known for his flamboyant fashion, including a penchant for wearing a dress or two. In December 2020, he became the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue.
• After COVID, Styles emerged as a top touring artist. His Love On Tour kicked off in September 2021 and ran until July 2023, including 15 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. After some time off, he returned in 2026 with the Together, Together tour, which was actually a series of residencies in seven major cities. This time he sold out 30 shows at the Garden despite eye-popping ticket prices.
• He introduced "Harryween" the night before Halloween in 2021 when he played his entire show at Madison Square Garden dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz (he added "Over The Rainbow to the setlist that night). Some of his other Harryween costumes include a Pierrot clown and Danny Zuko from Grease.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana

Teen Spirit was a kind of deodorant marketed to young girls. That's where Kurt Cobain got the title "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Down UnderMen at Work

Often heard as a patriotic song celebrating their homeland of Australia, "Down Under" by Men At Work is really about the selling of that country, and it makes a strong political statement.

China GroveThe Doobie Brothers

There really is a China Grove (in Texas), but Tom Johnston didn't know about it when he wrote the Doobie Brothers song.

IronicAlanis Morissette

The events described in Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic," like rain on your wedding day, are not examples of irony. Irony is the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning.

Do You Want To DanceBobby Freeman

Bobby Freeman's '50s hit "Do You Want To Dance" was also a Hot 100 hit for Del Shannon, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, Bette Midler and the Ramones.

Beautiful LoserBob Seger

Bob Seger's song "Beautiful Loser" was inspired by book Leonard Cohen published in 1966 called Beautiful Losers.

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.