Harry Styles opens up on his learnings on his music break

LOS ANGELES — Singer-songwriter Harry Styles has had his share of lessons when it comes to professional life. The singer has shared that he learnt "how to slow down" on his career break.

The 32-year-old singer realised the importance of being in the moment and focusing on what matters in his personal life after he took time out following his globally successful Love on Tour gigs in July 2023, reports ‘Deadline’.

Harry told ‘The Sunday Times’ magazine, "At the end of the tour, the idea of taking time out felt insane. I didn’t know if I could do it. But it was the right time for me, we’d finished the tour in July, and I was turning 30 in February. It was time for me to stop for a bit and pay some attention to other parts of my life. Italy has become really special to me over the past few years. I drove from London to Rome during COVID, in that time when you could travel. I’d spent all my years before that touring, with little gaps in between, and if I had a week off, I’d never have driven somewhere, I would have got there and back as fast as possible”.

He further mentioned, “Presented with this time, I drove there, and I thought, I’m going to enjoy doing this. When I was in Rome, the city just taught me how to slow down”.

As per ‘Deadline’, the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ hitmaker even relished sipping on a hot coffee in a cafe, something he had not done in ages.

He continued, "Italy became so important to me because I was so used to everything moving so quickly and being on the go. But then I remember going to a cafe and sitting and having a coffee and thinking, 'I don’t remember the last time I sat down and had a coffee, if I’ve ever sat down and just had a coffee’. 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. The Romans are the best at that, that’s their speciality. The pace they’ve taught me has been so special”.

The downtime allowed the three-time Grammy award winner to be present in his baby niece's life. Harry, whose new LP in four years, ‘Kiss All The Time’. ‘Disco, Occasionally’ drops on March 6, shared, "Also, in that time my sister (Gemma) had a baby, and at any other time in my life I would have missed a lot of that. To be there to get to know my niece as she’s growing up, it’s so obvious to me what’s real. It was really obvious that was where I wanted to be”.