Harry Styles has said the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne prompted him to re-evaluate his life and priorities.
The singer spoke candidly about the impact of losing his friend while discussing the inspirations behind his forthcoming fourth album, “Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally”.
Payne died in October 2024 at the age of 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.
Styles told DJ Zane Lowe on his Apple Music show that while losing any friend is painful, the loss is especially profound when it is someone who is “like you in so many ways”.
“I saw someone with the kindest heart who just wanted to be great,” the 32-year-old said.
“It was a really important moment for me, in terms of taking a look at my life and being able to say to myself: ‘OK, what do I want to do with my life? How do I want to live my life?'”
“And I think the greatest way you can honour your friends who pass away is by living your life to the fullest.”
Styles and Payne rose to global fame alongside fellow One Direction members Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
The band was formed on television talent show “The X Factor” in 2010 before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.
The group later reunited at Payne’s funeral to pay tribute to their former bandmate.
Styles admitted he still finds it difficult to speak about Payne’s death, describing him as a “super special person”.
He also said he struggled with the idea that other people “kind of own part of your grief”, adding that he felt a “desire” for his emotions to be publicly expressed or risk being questioned.
In January, Styles ended a near four-year hiatus from releasing new music with the launch of “Aperture”, the lead single from his upcoming album.
Prior to that, he had stepped back from the spotlight after concluding his Love On Tour shows in the summer of 2023.
The break followed more than a decade of constant touring and recording, first with One Direction and later as a solo artist after launching his independent career in 2017.
Reflecting on his musical influences, Styles told Lowe that some of his favourite moments as a listener come when an artist is in the process of “discover themselves”.
“I think the thing that makes someone like an artist, is letting them watch you be an ordinary person,” he said.
“It’s not about being ‘I am this mystic thing’.”
“I think the difference is we’re all ordinary people and there’s some people who let other people watch you be an ordinary person.”
“And I think that is kind of the key in a lot of ways – for me anyway.”
