Harry Styles Opens Up About Past Relationship With Taylor Swift

By Emily Surpless/April 18, 2017 10:31 am EST

We never thought we'd actually hear anything about what went down between these two.

Former One Direction member Harry Styles spoke with Rolling Stone for their May 4, 2017 cover story, and revealed some pretty interesting tidbits about his relationship with Taylor Swift.

Regarding his much-publicized Central Park date with the superstar back in December of 2012, Styles, 23, said, "When I see photos from that day, I think: Relationships are hard, at any age."

"And adding in that you don't really understand exactly how it works when you're 18, trying to navigate all that stuff didn't make it easier," he went on. "I mean, you're a little bit awkward to begin with. You're on a date with someone you really like. It should be that simple, right? It was a learning experience for sure. But at the heart of it—I just wanted it to be a normal date."

Harry Styles appears on our new cover. Head to RollingStone.com to read the story in full. In the feature, the One Direction member opens up to Cameron Crowe about his new sound, his social media presence, Taylor Swift and more. "Every decision I've made since 16 was made in a democracy," he says. "I felt it was about time to make a decision—and I shouldn't rely on others." Photograph by Theo Wenner (@theo123456)

A post shared by Rolling Stone (@rollingstone) on Apr 18, 2017 at 5:25am PDT

Styles also addressed the rumors that Swift's songs "Style" and "Out of the Woods" are about him and their short-lived romance. "I mean, I don't know if they're about me or not," Styles stated, "but the issue is, she's so good, they're bloody everywhere."

He continued, "I write from my experiences; everyone does that. I'm lucky if everything [we went through] helped create those songs. That's what hits your heart. That's the stuff that's hardest to say, and it's the stuff I talk least about. That's the part that's about the two people. I'm never going to tell anybody everything."

Still, Styles, who recently announced the release date of his debut album, has reportedly touched on his relationship with Swift, 27, on the One Direction song "Perfect," though the singer's never officially confirmed that Swift served as inspiration for the track. But, with lyrics like "If you like cameras flashing every time we go out" and "If you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about," it's pretty obvious which ex he's talking about.

When asked if he was able to tell Swift he liked the songs about their romance, he replied, "Yes and no." He explains, "She doesn't need me to tell her they're great. They're great songs ... It's the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever."

At the prompting of the Rolling Stone interviewer, Styles even scrapped together a message for his former love. "Certain things don't work out. There's a lot of things that can be right, and it's still wrong. In writing songs about stuff like that, I like tipping a hat to the time together," Styles said. "You're celebrating the fact it was powerful and made you feel something, rather than 'this didn't work out, and that's bad.' And if you run into that person, maybe it's awkward, maybe you have to get drunk ... but you shared something. Meeting someone new, sharing those experiences, it's the best s*** ever. So thank you."

Maybe Swift will respond to Styles' kind words in song? We hear she has a new album in the works.