The seemingly spontaneous singer opened up about the arguments people have when trying to define his sexuality.
“Sometimes people say, ‘You’ve only been with women publicly,’ and I don’t think I’ve been with anyone publicly,” he told Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos. “If someone takes a picture of you with someone, it doesn’t mean you choose to have a public relationship or anything like that.”
Styles also nodded to the public’s fascination with his sexuality when discussing his other film due out this year, “My Policeman,” in which he plays a locked-up gay cop in the 1950s.
“I think everyone, myself included, has their own journey to understanding sexuality and feeling more comfortable with it,” he said of the period drama and its universal themes. “It’s not like, ‘this is a gay story about these guys who are gay.’ It’s a matter of love and a waste of time for me.”
The “As It Was” singer also said fans criticizing his girlfriend online “don’t make him feel good.”
“It’s obviously a tough feeling to feel like being close to me means you’re at the ransom of a corner of Twitter or something,” he said. “I just wanted to sing. I didn’t want to get into it if I was going to hurt people like that.”