Harry Styles Says He Stayed Away From Drugs While In One Direction

Gettyimages | Theo Wargo

Despite recently biting off a bit of his tongue in a magic mushrooms incident, Harry Styles says he can play it straight while being a musician. He also reveals he was a bit of a straight edge while in One Direction.

Today, Styles spoke on "New Music Daily With Zane Lowe" about his time in that boy band, and how he's now riding off the momentum of his latest single "Watermelon Sugar."

Styles says that while he was in One Direction, he purposefully stayed away from drugs because he realized the gravity of the situation the band was in -- as in, it was a hugely popular group and he didn't want anything to get in the way of that.

He told "New Music Daily":

“When I was in the band, it was like, to me it felt like it was so much bigger than any of us that I kind of felt like, ‘I’m not going to be the one who f-cks it up.' "

He said he realized that he was at the point in his life when it was the right time to do things like experiment, but still, he didn't want to throw away what they had in One Direction.

“So I was like, ‘now is the time in my life when you probably go out and experiment and do this and you take this, and you do that, and that’s what you do with your friends.’ And I was like, I’m not going to be the guy who messes it up. So I was like, ‘I’m not going to do any of that stuff.’ ”

But Styles has also said that while recording his second solo album, Fine Line, he decided to try out some magic mushrooms. Then he apparently bit off part of his tongue, so how great of a decision was that?

“And I was with my friends, and we were in Malibu…I felt so safe. It was like, ‘I want to take some mushrooms? I’m going to take some—like now is the time to have fun. Like, we’re in Malibu, 24. I’m also in music.”

Gettyimages | Matt Winkelmeyer/MG19

Styles has spoken before about trying drugs and drinking while in One Direction.

In 2017, he spoke with The Sun about having a drink here or there.

“On the first couple of tours, it was so exciting as we’d have a drink and go to parties. But for me, the albums got higher, so they become harder to sing, so I knew if I didn’t come off stage and go to bed, I wouldn’t be able to sing the next night. Also, it’s just not for me. I’d rather wake up with a clear head."

Styles want to make clear that he's not on the super straight and narrow. He says he knows when it's okay to do something and when it's a good idea to back off from experimenting or partying too much.

"I’m not straight edge or anything – I’ll celebrate and hang out with friends when it’s the right time. But I like knowing I’m not going to be stressing about having to do something the next day.”