Harry Styles recalls how he ‘shut himself off from the world’ during music hiatus

Harry Styles became a hermit after his last tour ended in 2023.

The 32-year-old star, who is currently performing on his Together, Together tour, revealed he struggled to cope after finishing up his series of live shows for Love On Tour.

Speaking on the Q With Tom Power podcast, Harry said, “I was supposed to spend New Year’s with friends and I landed in Italy and felt really unwell, so I just went home.”

“And I woke up and I had this kind of beautiful New Year’s by myself. I was feeling the most alone I’d felt in a really long time, but in the most beautiful way. I didn’t feel lonely at all,” the Watermelon Sugar High hitmaker added.

He continued, “I was just feeling myself kind of shut out from a lot of the world,” adding, “I think I got used to saying no to invites from friends and maybe a weekend trip or a birthday party or something.”

“I just got used to, you know, if I have a week at home, I don’t want to go somewhere else for three days. I just want to stay home,” Harry further mentioned.

“And when I got to Italy and was in this quiet place, I felt like, ‘OK, if I’m going to spend all this time out here and I’m going to keep saying no to everything, I’m just going to shut myself off from the world,’” he realized.

Harry, who released his latest album, Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, in March, also admitted he has struggled to live up to his fans’ adoring perception of him in the past, explaining, “I had this relationship with my own image where people had this projected version of me that was perfect. And when the standard you hold yourself to is this perfect person, it’s impossible not to feel like you’re falling short.”

“You can sit at home and think it’s hard for me to do these things — people are looking at me, taking pictures. But when you shut out those things that might be negative, you also shut out a ton of ¬positive things,” the singer elaborated.

“If you think it’s hard to go to a bar and hang out with friends because people might act a certain way, there are also incredible people you could meet in that bar that you’re shutting out,” he said.

And, Harry Styles, who is reportedly engaged to actress Zoe Kravitz, believes his time away from the spotlight has been good for him, stating, “Having time to sit at home and be bored and really look at the emotions I was feeling allowed me to lean into them instead of being afraid of them. And it means I’m now in a much healthier place than I was last time I was putting music out.”