Harry Styles on His Love for Italy and How He’s Slowing Down After Hiatus

Harry Styles is reflecting on some of the lifestyle changes he’s embraced recently.

In a new interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, published Saturday (Feb. 14), the 32-year-old pop star opened up about his love for Italy, slowing down after a busy period, becoming an uncle, running a marathon, and more.

Nearly four years after his Grammy-winning third album, Harry’s House, Styles teased his return to music in early January. His fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, is set to arrive on March 6, followed by an extensive global residency tour. To build anticipation, the former One Direction member released the album’s first single, “Aperture,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early February.

Since wrapping up his Love on Tour in 2023, Styles has largely stayed out of the spotlight, occasionally appearing around the world to run major marathons or being spotted in Rome last May to witness the reveal of Pope Leo XIV.

After finishing the two-year trek in support of Harry’s House, “it was time for me to stop for a bit and pay some attention to other parts of my life,” Styles told The Sunday Times Magazine.

The “As It Was” singer noted that he spent the summer in Italy in 2024, describing it as a “transitional moment for me — to stop working and be settled somewhere for a while. I was settling into that life and a new space.”

Styles said his time in Rome taught him the importance of slowing down.

“Italy became so important to me because I was so used to everything moving so quickly and being on the go, but then I remember going to a café and sitting and having a coffee and thinking, ‘I don’t remember the last time I sat down and had a coffee — if I’ve ever sat down and just had a coffee,'” the musician said.

“I realized the pleasure in just being in the moment of what you’re doing. The Romans are the best at that — that’s their speciality. The pace they’ve taught me has been so special.”

Around the same time, Styles’ sister, Gemma, had a baby. “To be there to get to know my niece as she’s growing up, it’s so obvious to me what’s real,” he said. “It was really obvious that was where I wanted to be.”

Other changes the artist has made include distancing himself from social media. “I’ve made small changes, like not having Instagram on my phone any more,” Styles said. “I feel so much healthier in my relationship with this world that I’m stepping back into.”

Styles also touched on his love of running, which he started in his early twenties. As he approached 30, his desire to run a marathon grew stronger.

“As I was approaching my 30th birthday, I thought it was only going to get harder to start running again,” he said. “I knew I could approach it in a better way now. So it was healthy for me to have something as an outlet that gave me some structure in a moment where I was spending a lot of time by myself. It showed me that I could do difficult things by myself. Running wasn’t about being perfect, or the best, and it has been really rewarding.”

In March 2025, the pop star ran the Tokyo Marathon, finishing in the top fraction of runners, completing the 26.2-mile race in three hours and 24 minutes. He also completed the 2025 Berlin Marathon, running a time of 2 hours and 59 minutes under the pseudonym “Sted Sarandos.”

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally will mark Styles’ fourth solo album. It follows his 2017 self-titled debut, 2019’s Fine Line, and 2022’s Harry’s House, all of which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The latter also won album of the year at the Grammys and spawned the 15-week Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “As It Was.”