“I went to the audition to find out if I could sing.”
Harry Styles
Vogue
cover star
Attention all ye Harry Styles and One Direction fans: Harry’s the first-ever male solo Vogue cover star , and he’s looking pretty fucking incredible.

Tyler Mitchell/ / Vogue
Pardon my French, but come on.
Hamish Bowles
As part of the interview, Harry told Hamish Bowles about fashion, friendship, and a little band called One Direction.

Tyler Mitchell/ / Vogue
At just sixteen, Harry’s mom signed him up for the X Factor UK where he was eventually paired with, you know, One Direction. “I went to the audition to find out if I could sing,” he began, “or if my mum was just being nice to me.”

However, Harry used to be pretty stricken with nerves early on in his career — throwing up before shows on the regular. “I just always thought I was going to mess up or something,” he said.

Tyler Mitchell/ / Vogue
Thankfully, his “incredibly generous” fans helped get him through it.
Even Harry’s sister, Gemma, recalled to Vogue how he used to put on a voice just to be able to sing in public. “He used to do quite a good sort of Elvis warble,” she said, adding that Harry used to only be able to sing in his own voice when he was in the bathroom and there was no one looking.
instagram.com
Gemma Styles / Via instagram.com
Looking back on those early days, it’s lovely to see how Harry is still super positive about his time in 1D. “I think the typical thing is to come out of a band like that and almost feel like you have to apologize for being in it,” he added. “But I loved my time in it. It was all new to me, and I was trying to learn as much as I could.”

Christopher Polk / Getty
here
You can read Hamish Bowles’ full Vogue interview with Harry here