Harry Styles admits he felt “very alone” after One Direction and didn’t even know what to do with his hands on stage
Harry Styles is opening up about something a lot of fans probably never considered, how strange and lonely it felt when he first stepped onto a stage without One Direction by his side.
The singer reflected on the emotional shift that came after the boy band’s 2016 hiatus, when the group went on an indefinite break and each member moved toward a solo career. One Direction, made up of Styles along with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne, was one of the biggest pop acts in the world, so the change was massive even for someone as confident as Styles seems now.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Styles admitted that those first solo performances felt disorienting. Even though he had global attention and fans ready to support his solo work, the reality of standing alone on stage hit him hard.
“The first couple of times on stage [without One Direction], I’d think, ‘What do I do with my hands?’ But I also felt very alone all of a sudden,” he told the magazine.
It is an unexpectedly relatable moment. One minute you are surrounded by bandmates and constant movement, and the next you are the only one holding the spotlight.
Styles also shared that the transition came with a different kind of pressure. Without the group dynamic, he felt the weight of having to meet his own creative expectations, and there was no one else to lean on in the same way.
After finishing his massive Love On Tour run in July 2023, Styles stepped back from music entirely for a while. Instead of jumping straight into another project, he chose to slow down and reconnect with everyday life, something most people take for granted but touring artists often miss.
“I was suddenly learning, through my friends, that eating a meal is more than just sitting down and refuelling. I realised the pleasure in just being in the moment of what you’re doing,” he recalled.
Styles also leaned into personal milestones that helped keep him grounded, including becoming an uncle and taking up running, which he described as both rewarding and stabilizing.
Now, it looks like he is ready to step back into the spotlight, at least briefly. Styles recently confirmed he will return to the stage for a one-off show at Co-Op Arena on March 6 to celebrate the release of his new album, KISS ALL THE TIME. DISCO, OCCASIONALLY..
The announcement comes after some fans previously criticized high ticket prices connected to earlier tour plans. Styles responded by making the upcoming show far more affordable, saying tickets will be priced at £20 to make it more accessible.