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London, May 23rd, 2025
Interview with Harry Styles, popstar, bisexual icon and philanthropist, by Louis W. Tomlinson.
LT: Welcome Mr Styles, or can I call you Harry?
Mr Styles laughs.
HS: You’re welcome to call me Harry. And thank you, it’s nice to be here.
Here, for the readers, is the hotel room that Rolling Stone booked for the sake of the interview. It’s almost a shame I don’t get to stay in it for longer than the time it takes me to interview Harry, because it is a wonderful room indeed.
LT: Well, welcome Harry.
HS: Thank you Louis.
LT: We’re here today to talk about your new album, which was released yesterday. It’s been almost two years since your last album. Would you like to tell us about the recording process?
HS: Straight in with the deep questions I see.
Harry laughs again.
HS: Well, like you said, it’s been two years since my last album (Ed.: Harry’s House) came out. I’ve obviously toured that one, but I started writing the new album (Ed.: Homeward) before the European leg. It was the feeling of being on the road for such a long time, and missing home, and what that means to me, that truly inspired the story.
LT: What does home look like for you?
HS: As you know, I don’t comment on my private life, so I’ll leave the exact details out of it, but home for me is more about a feeling than anything specific, you know? It’s about finding that place, or that person, that gives you peace. That allows you to be the truest version of yourself. I find that the older I get, the more important it is to have those moments of reflection. To process in silence and really get to the core of what I want out of life, who I want to be.
LT: And who do you want to be?
HS: You know, I’m 31 years old, and I still don’t really know. I think that the album kind of proves that too. It’s a bit more experimental, because I wanted to have fun. I didn’t want to write an album for the fans, or for the general public. This is maybe my most personal album yet, because it’s about self discovery. But I do hope that the listeners can take something from it for themselves, whatever that may be.
As we speak, the album is #1 in the Itunes chart. It’s already sold over 70.000 copies and is likely to debut at the top spot in the charts.
LT: I think it’s safe to say that even if you wrote the album for yourself, your fans can find a bit of themselves in the songs, because it’s been doing great numbers so far.
HS: You know, I don’t really care much for numbers. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s great if my album’s a success, but I am in the very privileged position that I can make music that I want, without having to worry about the reception.
LT: But you must feel some kind of nervousness, I assume, before a release? Especially on such a personal project?
HS: Oh yeah, for sure. Even with all the albums I’ve released, both in the band (Ed.: Styles was in a band called One Direction with fellow musicians Liam Payne, Zayn Malik & Niall Horan) and as a solo artist, there’s still something incredibly nerve wracking about opening yourself up to scrutiny. And especially with this album, since there are some incredibly personal songs on there.
LT: Can you tell us something about that? Are there any songs that are particularly close to your heart? And would you be able to tell us something about the inspiration for those songs?
HS: Oh wow. Um, yeah. Yeah, there’s one song in particular that I’ve debated on putting on the album. I’ve actually had it written for a few years now, it was meant to be part of Harry’s House, but it didn’t fit the sound of the album. And then I started writing the new album, and I realised that it would fit in beautifully on this one, both sonically and thematically, I suppose.
LT: Can I ask which song it is? And what it is about, for you? I know that you’re a big fan of leaving the interpretation of specific songs up to the audience, but is there anything you can tell us about why that song is so important to you?
HS: It’s called Lost Time. And it’s about, I guess, the feeling of the world moving on without you. Of people that you loved and thought you’d have forever with just… not being part of your life anymore. Not being part of you anymore. And I guess it’s about having to accept that sometimes that’s just how it’s going to be. You’re not going to get that second chance, no matter how much you want to. No matter how much someone means or meant to you.
LT: It’s a very beautiful song.
HS: Thank you Louis.
LT: So is it about anyone in particular? I know that you don’t comment on your private life, and I’m not asking you to name anyone, obviously, but is this about a generic ‘people’, or is it about someone personal to you? A romantic connection, perhaps?
HS: I guess you could say that. I mean, on the whole, I think anyone can recognise that feeling, of wishing that you’d had more time with someone. It’s not necessarily a romantic notion. And I think that’s important, that people take away what they need from it, that they find comfort in it, even if that’s not necessarily how I intended it. That’s the beauty of music, that at the end of the day, once it’s out there, it’s not about what I thought when I wrote it. It’s about how it makes people feel. But yeah, for me, personally, it is about someone specific. Someone that I lost a long time ago.
LT: I’m sorry for your loss.
HS: Oh, thank you. I didn’t mean- well, I have lost people, and I certainly do wish I’d had more time with them, but as for this particular song, it’s not about someone I lost in the literal sense. It’s just, it was a wrong place, wrong time situation. I was young, they were young, and we just couldn’t make it work. And you get to a point where you’re so fortunate, so successful, but you can’t help but wonder, what would life have looked like if you’d taken that chance? That’s actually what another song on the album is about. Parallel is, well, the name kind of really says it all. It’s about that other life that you could’ve had, if you’d made different decisions.
LT: The lyrics mention coming home to a partner, raising kids. It’s very domestic. Is that something you feel you’re missing out on? Is that something you want in life?
HS: Oh a hundred percent, yeah. I mean, it’s hard to balance that idea of a domestic life with what I’ve got going on, obviously, but it’s certainly something I’ve always wanted. And I suppose Parallel is the answer to all the what if’s. I think the beauty is that you can find happiness in both situations, even if that’s also what makes it bittersweet, you know? Because I could’ve been happy, in that parallel life.
LT: Well, they say it’s never too late to go after what you really want.
HS: I don’t know. I think that sometimes it is. I think that sometimes, the thought of what you could’ve had is a romanticised version of what it could be, if that makes sense? And the truth is just going to let you down. Because at the end of the day, we’re not who we used to be. Neither of us is the same person we were all those years ago, and I know that life, nevermind love, doesn’t come with guarantees, but there’s something to be said for letting it exist in the inbetween, in the mind only.
LT: It certainly sounds safer than putting yourself out there, and risking getting hurt.
HS: Exactly.
LT: But I would think that as a songwriter, you’ve had a lot of experience putting yourself out there. Not just with the songs on your album, but also the songs you wrote for other people. Can you tell us something about that? About what makes you decide not to put a song on your album, but give it to someone else instead?
HS: Sometimes it’s just a matter of writing something for someone or some specific situation, like with the song I wrote for Love, Simon. But then other times there’s songs that I wanted to put on an album, but they just didn’t fit, and I couldn’t see them fitting into anything in the future, because they didn’t represent me anymore. That’s the case with the song I wrote for Ariana (Ed.: Grande, Styles is talking about the song Just a little bit of your heart), it was a beautiful song, and it was a song that meant a lot to me at the time I wrote it, but it didn’t fit me anymore.
LT: Because you let go of the person you wrote the song for?
HS: Because I- no. No I wouldn’t say that, though I guess I did, even if it’s not in the way that you mean. I just realised that sometimes you’re on different paths, and different timelines. And that’s alright. Just because it didn’t work doesn’t mean it’s meaningless, I guess, is what the point is.
LT: That’s a beautiful sentiment.
HS: Thank you, Louis.
LT: It’s also sort of sad though. But then again, I guess I am a big believer in romance. In second chances and going after what you want. Because you’re right, just because something didn’t work doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. But also, just because it didn’t work once doesn’t mean that it can’t the second time around. I think that’s why Homeward is my favourite song off the album. The way you described having that conversation at the kitchen table, finally being face to face. Getting the chance to say all those things you wish you’d have said before. I think everyone can relate to that. I know I might be prying when I ask this, but if you got that chance, if you’d got to sit down with that person, what would you say?
HS: I’d say that I was sorry. That I’m glad that we had the chance to be something, even if it didn’t work. And that I still sometimes think of what could’ve been, the life we could’ve led. And that I understand it wasn’t that they didn’t love me. That it was just-
LT: different paths and different timelines.
HS: Yeah, exactly.
LT: But that would be it? You’d still be content to let it exist in the inbetween?
HS: I don’t know. I guess it would depend on the other person. If they’d want to reexamine it. If you were in that situation, would you want to reexamine it, if you got the chance?
LT: I think I would, yeah. Like I said, I’m a romantic. I’m a big believer in second chances. I think we all have that person that if they came back and said those things, you’d say yes in a heartbeat. Even if it doesn’t end up working. Because then at least you can say that you’ve tried.
HS: I guess that’s true.
Unfortunately, we are interrupted at this moment, a signal that the interview is over. Harry Styles has many other commitments that day, and will do for the next few weeks as he promotes his new album Homeward, now out in stores. I thank him for his time, and we shake hands.
HS: It was nice seeing you again, Louis.
LT: Likewise.
HS: I like what you said about second chances. And I think that you’re right. I think it’s good to try. I think I might. Because it might not be too late.
LT: I’m certain it won’t be.
Last updated October 29th, 2026:
This article originally appeared online on May 23rd, 2025, and in the June Issue of Rolling Stone Magazine. Ever since then, Homeward has broken records in multiple countries and has been a #1 album for 29 weeks. Harry Styles has embarked on his fourth world tour, which culminated in Styles playing six sold out shows at the O2 arena. He has been joined on tour by his partner, Louis Tomlinson, former journalist and writer for Rolling Stone Magazine, and the person who Harry is now happy to admit inspired many of the songs on Homeward.
Rolling Stone Magazine would like to be the first to congratulate them on their engagement and their upcoming wedding, which is planned for spring 2028.
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