Rise to Fame
He got cut from X Factor in 2010 as a solo act, then got pulled back into a group with four strangers and reportedly named them himself. One Direction finished third on the show, became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, then went on hiatus in 2016. The solo pivot could have gone sideways. Instead, 'Sign of the Times' (2017) topped the UK chart, Fine Line (2019) set a first-week US sales record for an English male artist, and 'As It Was' (2022) spent 15 weeks at #1 in the US, the fourth-longest run in Billboard history.
In the Spotlight
Love on Tour (2021-2023) grossed $617.3 million, more than every One Direction tour combined. He returned in early 2026 with a fourth album after nearly four years without new music, hosted SNL, and addressed queerbaiting accusations on air. His acting work is more mixed: Christopher Nolan cast him in Dunkirk and critics largely left him alone, but Don't Worry Darling got buried under its own off-set drama. He's at the point where refusing to define things, his sexuality, his music, his era, is the defining thing.
Side Notes
Before all this, he was earning £6/hour at a Holmes Chapel bakery at 14. After One Direction blew up, he moved in 'temporarily' with producer Ben Winston and stayed for 20 months in what Winston called 'the most mundane suburban situation,' with no one finding out. He auditioned for the Elvis biopic but Baz Luhrmann passed, saying Styles was 'already an icon' and too recognizable. He has George Michael's 'Careless Whisper' lyrics tattooed on his ankles, which feels very intentional.