Harry Styles opens up about Taylor Swift
Better late than never.
Harry Styles has finally decided to break his silence about his infamous relationship with Taylor Swift, whom Styles dated briefly in 2012. Their pairing prompted speculation that several songs by both Swift and One Direction were about the breakup, but Styles himself had always kept quiet about it in interviews.
Until now.
In his lengthy Rolling Stone cover profile -- written by filmmaker Cameron Crowe and tied to the release of Styles’ debut solo album -- the British singer entertained questions about Swift for the first time, beginning with a reflection on their much-documented second date, a walk in Central Park in December 2012.
“When I see photos from that day, I think: Relationships are hard, at any age. And adding in that you don’t really understand exactly how it works when you’re 18, trying to navigate all that stuff didn’t make it easier,” Styles said.
“I mean, you’re a little bit awkward to begin with. You’re on a date with someone you really like. It should be that simple, right? It was a learning experience, for sure. But at the heart of it, I just wanted it to be a normal date.”
Styles takes a wistful, mature approach when viewing the relationship in retrospect.
“Certain things don’t work out. There’s a lot of things that can be right, and it’s still wrong,” he said. “In writing songs about stuff like that, I like tipping a hat to the time together. You’re celebrating the fact it was powerful and made you feel something, rather than, ‘This didn’t work out, and that’s bad.’ And if you run into that person, maybe it’s awkward, maybe you have to get drunk ... but you shared something.”
As for Swift’s songs believed to be inspired by Styles?
“I mean, I don’t know if they’re about me or not, but the issue is, she’s so good, they’re bloody everywhere,” he said, turning vague when asked if he ever told her what he thought of the tracks. “She doesn’t need me to tell her they’re great. They’re great songs ... It’s the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever.”