Harry Styles Says an Outgoing Girlfriend Helped Him Beat His Early Fame Anxiety

Harry Styles has never been shy about the strangeness of getting famous young, but his latest interview goes deeper. In a Musicians on Musicians conversation with Thom Yorke for Rolling Stone, the singer opened up about feeling“locked in”during his One Direction days, when being out in public felt impossible. His solution came from an outgoing girlfriend who simply walked everywhere with him around London. Somewhere in those walks, he realized it was fine to be outside, and he says that realization changed his life.

Styles didn’t name the girlfriend, but the timeline points to 2012, the same year he was briefly linked to Taylor Swift. These days, his life looks completely different. He’s 32, engaged to Zoë Kravitz, and in the middle of a 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden. He also told W Magazine that time away from touring let him nurture a side of his life he’d neglected, and he’s hinted another break could be coming after the NYC run.

So there you have it: the guy who fills arenas credits a simple walk with a person who pushed him to step outside. If you needed a sign to text that friend who drags you off the couch, this is it. Who’s that person in your life?