Harry Styles (born February 1, 1994, Redditch, Worcestershire, England) is a British singer, songwriter, and actor, one of the original members of the boy band One Direction and a highly successful solo artist known for his multiple chart-topping singles and albums. Styles became a member of One Direction in 2010, when the group came together to compete on the British music competition television show The X Factor. He later embarked on a career as a solo artist and actor, with forays into fashion.
Styles was raised in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, England, by his parents, Anne Twist and Desmond Styles. His parents divorced when he was seven years old; thereafter, he and his elder sister, Gemma, were raised by their mother. Styles made his start in music while a student at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, where he was the lead singer of the band White Eskimo. In 2010, encouraged by his mother, Styles auditioned for The X Factor. For the show, he performed a rendition of “Isn’t She Lovely,” a song originally written by Stevie Wonder. After failing to advance, Styles was recalled and joined with Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson to compete as a group on the show. The five-member group subsequently became known as One Direction, named at the suggestion of Styles, and ultimately took third place in the final round of the competition. The group released its debut studio album, Up All Night, in 2011. Styles cowrote three songs on the album, which climbed quickly to number two on the U.K. Albums Chart and to number one on the Billboard 200. One Direction’s next four albums—Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013), Four (2014), and Made in the A.M. (2015)—were all hugely successful.
In 2016 Styles and the other members of One Direction decided to take a break from recording and touring, enabling Styles to pursue a solo career. That year he signed a contract with Columbia Records and launched Erksine Records, an independent record label. In 2017 he released his debut single, “Sign of the Times,” which topped the U.K. Singles Chart, and his self-titled debut album. His music became known for its combined elements of classic rock, soft rock, and pop, reflecting the many artists by which he was influenced, including the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Harry Nilsson, and Shania Twain. His second solo album, Fine Line, was released in 2019, and it broke U.S. sales records for a British male singer. In addition, the song “Watermelon Sugar” won the Grammy Award for best pop solo performance and the BRIT Award for British single of the year. His follow-up, Harry’s House (2022), was also a critical and commercial hit. It won three Grammys, including album of the year and best pop vocal album.
In 2017 Styles made his debut as an actor, taking on the role of a British soldier during World War II in the film Dunkirk; his performance received positive reviews. He then accepted a leading role in Don’t Worry Darling (2022), a psychological thriller directed by Olivia Wilde. Also in 2022 he starred in the romantic drama My Policeman, a film set in 1950s Brighton, England, in which Styles played a gay policeman.
From early in his career, Styles was known for his philanthropy. He frequently donated proceeds from his concerts and tours to charities and took moments onstage to bring awareness to equal rights, gender equality, and other causes. He also promoted the slogan “Treat People with Kindness,” after which he wrote a song of the same name that appeared on Fine Line.
