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Harry Styles revisits X Factor as he kicks off Wembley residency
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Culture & Society

Harry Styles revisits X Factor as he kicks off Wembley residency

From BBC News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Harry Styles kicked off his record-breaking Wembley Stadium residency by reflecting on his X Factor audition 16 years prior.
  • He thanked his sister for bringing him to London and his mother for secretly signing him up for the show that led to the formation of One Direction.
  • The concert featured a connection with the audience, including a fan's question about his favorite egg, and celebrated community and shared euphoria.

Harry Styles launched his historic 12-night residency at London's Wembley Stadium by taking a trip down memory lane, recalling his audition for The X Factor 16 years ago. Standing just yards from where he first auditioned, Styles shared with the sold-out crowd of 80,000 that it was within Wembley Arena that he was first put into a band – One Direction.

Just outside of this building, just next door in Wembley Arena, my sister brought me to London for the very first time.

— Harry StylesRecalling his first visit to London and his X Factor audition.

"My sister is here tonight," Styles announced, expressing his gratitude. "I want to thank her. I love you and I appreciate you." He also paid tribute to his mother, Anne, who he revealed secretly entered him into the talent competition when he was just 16. "I wouldn't be here today if she hadn't done that," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

It was… in that building that I was put in a band. We were called One Direction.

— Harry StylesReflecting on the formation of One Direction at Wembley Arena.

Styles' X Factor journey in 2010 saw him audition as a solo artist, performing Train's "Hey Soul Sister" and Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely." While he didn't win as a solo act, his path led him to be grouped with Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan, forming the global phenomenon One Direction. Fittingly, his walk-on music at Wembley was an Elvis Presley track, a nod to the King of Rock and Roll, with whom Styles shares a certain stage presence.

My sister is here tonight. I want to thank her. I love you and I appreciate you.

— Harry StylesExpressing gratitude to his sister for her support.

The concert itself was a spectacle of pop hits like "As It Was" and "Watermelon Sugar," captivating the audience who arrived dressed in sequins, feather boas, and waistcoats. The show emphasized connection and community, with Styles engaging directly with fans, even answering a fan's sign asking about his favorite type of egg. "I like a fried egg. Followed closely with a scramble," he revealed, eliciting cheers. The performance celebrated the euphoria of "dancing together, sweating together and singing together," underscored by a palpable camaraderie among his band members.

I wouldn't be here today if she hadn't done that. I thank you so, so much.

— Harry StylesThanking his mother for secretly signing him up for The X Factor.
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Originally published by BBC News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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