While promoting upcoming album 'Harry's House', the 'As It Was' hitmaker opens up about feeling terrified of talking to journalists when he was a teenager and a member of his former boyband.

• Apr 27, 2022

AceShowbiz - Harry Styles owed his success to One Direction, but he was pleased to put part of his past behind. While promoting his upcoming album "Harry's House", the "As It Was" hitmaker spilled on feeling "free" after he was able to break out of his former boyband's cleanliness clauses.

In an interview for the June issue of Better Homes & Gardens, the "Watermelon Sugar" crooner addressed one of his group's strict clauses that controlled what he and his bandmates could or could not say and do to build an innocent and charming image. He admitted that it caused him to feel terrified of accidentally revealing things he should not have.

Harry revealed that when he felt uncomfortable about journalists' questions, he did not know how to tell them off. The "Sign of the Times" hitmaker even felt guilty if they were upset. "Why do I feel like I'm the one who has done something wrong?" he admittedly asked. It was not until he learned his new contract gave him freedom over creative and personal decisions that he burst into tears. "I felt free," he reasoned.

Reflecting more on his time in One Direction, Harry mentioned that he was pushed to reveal a lot about himself in order "to get people to engage with you, to like you." For example, the 28-year-old said that his baby photos, which he originally gave to "The X Factor" producer for his backstory on the show, were put out all over the internet.

The "Dunkirk" actor also opened up about feeling "ashamed" about his sex life during his stint in the boy group. "For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life. I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with," he stated.

"At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful," he elaborated, "But I think I got to a place where I was like, why do I feel ashamed? I'm a 26-year-old man who's single; it's like, yes, I have sex."

Putting all his woes aside, Harry stressed to the magazine that he "absolutely loved" being in One Direction. He claimed to feel lucky to make music and to do what he loved every day.