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After years of being part of the biggest boy band in the world, Harry Styles felt "free" after going solo.
The "As It Was" singer graced the June cover on Better Homes & Gardens, where he opened up about his time in One Direction and how that experience affected his life post-1D.
During his five years in the band, Styles began to feel that his success and likability were linked to how "well-behaved" he was, per People. He also worried about the questions he was asked in interviews regarding his sex life would impact one of the "cleanliness clauses" of his contract, so much so that when he finally went solo, he felt that burden lifted and burst into tears.
"I felt free," he said.
When it came time for him to work on his own music, though, he worried that it wouldn't live up to his time in the band.
"There were so many years where, for me, especially in the band and the first few years coming out of it, I'd just been terrified of it ending, because I didn't necessarily know who I was if I didn't do music," he said, adding, "[It was scary] because I'd come out of the band, and it was like, if I want to be taken seriously as a musician, then I can't make fun music. [It was] bowling with the bumpers up, playing it safe."
Now, though, he is focused on putting out music that's proud of, such as Harry's House, which drops May 20, saying he doesn't feel like "my life is over if this album isn't a commercial success."
"I just want to make stuff that is right, that is fun, in terms of the processes, that I can be proud of for a long time, that my friends can be proud of, that my family can be proud of, that my kids will be proud of one day," he said.