Harry Styles: Five Years From ‘X-Factor’ Audition To Worldwide Star
It seems unbelievable that it is just five years since 16-year-old Harry Styles auditioned for Simon Cowell’s reality TV show X Factor. During the auditions for the 2010 season of the hit show, Harry Styles sang Stevie Wonders “Isn’t She Lovely” and progressed to boot camp after receiving support from Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger.
Louis Walsh was less certain about Harry’s talent and maturity and did not think that Styles was ready to progress in the competition. At boot camp, Harry sang an Oasis song, “Stop Crying Your Heart Out.” It proved to be a poor song choice, as Harry was rejected. Of course, that rejection proved to be a huge blessing in disguise for Harry Styles and four other young men who were also rejected at boot camp.
Harry Styles was then invited to join with Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik to form One Direction. Harry and his pals became a huge hit with the UK public, who supported them by voting them all the way through to the show’s final week. Harry and One Direction placed third in the show behind winner Matt Cardle and runner-up Rebecca Ferguson.
At the conclusion of the X-Factor season, Harry Styles and his pals were signed to Simon Cowell’s SyCo on a reported £2 million, five-year, five-album deal. In the five years since, Harry Styles has rarely been out of the gossip columns, as Cowell masterminded a career that saw One Direction become one of the biggest acts on the planet.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Harry Styles formed a romantic relationship with Caroline Flack, a woman 14-years his senior, during X-Factor. In the years since, Harry has been linked with a seemingly never-ending succession of beautiful women, including singer Taylor Swift and, most recently, Victoria’s Secret model Nadine Leopold.
In recent weeks, Harry Styles and the rest of One Direction have had a tough time after bandmate Zayn Malik quit the band after 16 dates of an 80-date world tour. The band have continued as a four-piece, and reports indicate that they are not seeking to replace Malik.
Harry Styles is currently reported to be in L.A. whilst the rest of the band have returned to the UK for a break in their hectic touring schedule.
Harry Styles has become well known for his charitable work, as he has supported a number of UK based charities. The Mirror reports that whilst in South Africa recently, Harry took time out to support The Lalela Project charity, which gives children affected by extreme poverty the chance to be creative through art projects.
As you would expect, Harry Styles fans have taken to social media to celebrate the anniversary of Harry’s audition and the hashtag #5YearsSinceHarrysAudition is trending. One fan summed up the feelings of many Directioners, saying simply that she found it hard not to cry when looking at Harry’s photos.
Try not to cry while looking at this, it's very hard not too#5YearsSinceHarrysAudition pic.twitter.com/dyFISsf1Wu
— amber (@WASTEDCMB) April 11, 2015
Harry Styles has come a very long way in five short years.
[Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images]
