Interview Quotes

Finding Solace in Solitude and Re-engagement with the World

"And I think the last couple of years for me was about, you know, there's a lot of things that I think I got used to saying no to, like invites from friends and like maybe a weekend trip or like a birthday party or something."

— Harry Styles • 00:03:59

"So like, I think having, you know, like healthy boundaries doesn't mean just saying no to everything. I think it's being intentional with the things that you don't do and being intentional with the things that you do do."

— Harry Styles • 00:05:19

"And I think when, you know, when I was writing music, it felt like, like, it's only to fulfill myself because I'm doing it in a way that feels so removed from the idea of making an album."

— Harry Styles • 00:08:25

"And I think having, like, not being afraid to be by myself allowed me to. Be intentional."

— Harry Styles • 00:11:06

"So if you go, it can be hard to go to a bar and, like, hang out with friends because there's maybe people who would act this way. I don't want to shut myself off from this world. Like, I love people."

— Harry Styles • 00:16:42

"And I think with this record, what I hope and what I hear when I listen to it is like, I want the listener to be in the front seat actually. And I'm in the seat behind you and I'm like, you know, maybe I have my hand on your shoulder. I'm like with you. But it's about you having your own experiences."

— Harry Styles • 00:24:45

The Journey of "Paint by Numbers" and Self-Acceptance

"So originally Paint by Numbers was like track one of the album. And at that time, the album was very different. It was like sonically sounding very different. And it was very, it was like very introspective."

— Harry Styles • 00:26:52

"And I think learning to like accept that and I think being in the struggle of there's this perfect version that you're trying to fulfill. And by doing that, I think feeling like you, it's really easy to fall short when the version that you're, the standard you're holding yourself to is this like perfect person. It's impossible."

— Harry Styles • 00:30:54

"It's like, I'm still figuring a bunch of stuff out. And it's okay to like have a little self-compassion around making mistakes. You know, like everyone does that."

— Harry Styles • 00:33:15

"And I think like having time to like sit at home and get, you know, be bored and like being bored is part of it. Like it's all okay. Like being bored isn't a bad thing. Being this thing isn't a bad thing. Being afraid isn't a bad thing."

— Harry Styles • 00:36:25

Collective Transcendence and the Power of Shared Experience

"But I heard it too. But it's this something about people gathering on behalf of something that is so much greater than what we can understand in some ways."

— Harry Styles • 00:43:45

"And I think having these moments of like rituals of like coming together and believing in something and it doesn't have to be God. It doesn't have to be X. It can be music or the environment or nature or nature or whatever it is."

— Harry Styles • 00:45:52

"And I think the threads between gathering in that way and gathering at like a show or a concert, it's like whatever side of it we're on, we're all kind of there for the same thing."

— Harry Styles • 00:48:41

"And I think the answer was that of all of my questioning of like, why and why do I do this? It's like this feeling of someone hearing something is like reason enough to like be alive."

— Harry Styles • 01:01:14

"And I think that to me has been like the greatest gift of what I've got out of this record is kind of rediscovering the rediscovering that because I think it can realizing that it's not really about you can be absolutely terrifying. Or if you let it, it can be incredibly liberating to just go, it's just not, you know."

— Harry Styles • 01:04:22