Harry Styles Explains How Walking Is a Crucial Part of His Creative Process

Harry Styles has not heard of a fameless life since 2010, when he stepped on the X Factor stage for the first time before even knowing he would be assigned to boyband sensation One Direction. Currently on the middle of a 30-day residency at Madison Square Garden, in New York, the singer opened up about walking as an artistic process, learning to deal with public attention and more in a talk with Tom Yorke. 

"When I was in the band [One Direction], so much of the hotel experience felt very locked-in", he said in a conversation published by Rolling Stone. "When I’d be home, it felt like, “Oh, it’s not safe for me to be out.” Then I had a girlfriend who was very outgoing, and she was coming to London and I was like, “Oh, if we just sit in my house for three days, she’s gonna think I’m nuts"'. 

"So we walked everywhere, and it was this realization for me: “Oh, it’s fine to be outside.” It kind of broke that thing. Now, it’s changed my life in such a big way, because it’s how you stay connected to the world", he revealed. 

For his last two tours, Styles has been known to use his show breaks to just walk or run around cities—which has been one of the easiest way to meet him for fans. For him, that's more than just decompressing: "I read something about walking being the artist’s kind of perspective, because you’re at ground level and you see things that you just don’t see if you’re driving everywhere". 

In the interview, he also explains how that has helped prioritizing his creative process outside of a studio booth. "I’ve had a big shift — I used to feel labor-focused about art in general. I felt like to justify it, I had to be in the studio months at a time". 

As of today, Styles is on his 19th night of the "Together Together" 30-day residency at MSG, that includes different celebrations and special fan events for the concert marathon that is set to have its final date this Halloween, October 31, with a special show known by fans as Harryween. 

“With Harry Styles’ groundbreaking residency, we are not only continuing our legacy of bringing the best in live entertainment to The Garden, but also engaging fans with the celebrations to deliver an unparalleled guest experience that will be just as unforgettable as the concerts are sure to be", said MSG's executive vice president for Live Josephine Vaccarello.