Harry Styles is standing up for his young female fanbase.
Harry Styles
The 23-year-old singer - whose debut solo album topped the charts in the UK and the US - has hit back at people who denigrate the music taste of younger fans, calling it "kind of rude".
Speaking to NPR, he said: "The thing is, people stereotype it as their attraction to the music is something other than the music, and I think that's unfair. And honestly, I think it's writing people off. It's kind of rude. Everyone's musical taste is different, and there's no right or wrong answer. So I don't know who's the person in the world who is like - that guy has good music taste."
And Harry praised One Direction's fans as "honest", insisting that they haven't just blindly followed him on his solo career and would have let him know if they didn't like his new music.
He explained: "I actually think that the kind of fans that we've had are the most honest.
"Yeah. Everyone meets those people where they like something and they'll never admit they'll like it. ... I'd rather someone be honest with me, and I wanted to be honest with the album."
While Harry is enjoying life as a solo artist during One Direction's hiatus, he admitted that it has left him feeling quite vulnerable as he no longer has anyone to share the downsides with.
He said: "I've never felt this vulnerable putting out music, because I don't think this is a piece of myself I've put out there before. And, simple fact: When there are other people around you, you share the good stuff -- but you also get to share the bad stuff and hide behind everyone else a little bit. So with this, yeah, it is scary. But I think it was time for me to be scared. And I'm still very much learning. And I'm having the time of my life working this out."
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