Harry Styles was caught in an uncomfortable confrontation with an autograph hunter who continued to follow him through the streets of New York.
The former One Direction star appeared visibly frustrated as he exchanged words with a man carrying a stack of records for him to sign.
Photographs of the encounter show the pair pointing at one another during what appeared to be a heated disagreement, with Styles’ bodyguard standing nearby.
But despite the apparent confrontation, the man seemingly refused to leave the singer alone and continued to walk alongside the singer for several blocks.
Styles, who was dressed casually in a grey baseball cap and sunglasses, appeared to have been attempting to enjoy a relatively anonymous outing before the encounter.
At one point, his security guard was seen approaching a police car, seemingly to alert officers to the situation.
However, there are no report of the police intervening in the situation.
The incident is particularly unfortunate given that Styles has previously spoken about how important being able to move freely through the world has become to him.
In fact, the As It Was hitmaker recently revealed that a former girlfriend helped him overcome his fear of going out in public after years of feeling effectively trapped by his own fame.
Speaking to Radiohead front man Thom Yorke for Rolling Stone, Styles explained that during the height of his boyband fame, he had become accustomed to spending much of his time confined to hotels and private spaces.
“I think in the early days, when I was in the band, so much of the hotel experience felt very locked-in,” he said, adding, “When I’d be home, it felt like, ‘Oh, it’s not safe for me to be out.’”
That changed when he began dating someone (whom he did not name) who was considerably more comfortable getting out and about.
“Then I had a girlfriend who was very outgoing, and she was coming to London and I was like, ‘Oh, if we just sit in my house for three days, she’s gonna think I’m nuts,’” he recalled.
Rather than hiding away, the couple began exploring the city on foot, helping Harry Styles realise that he didn’t necessarily have to sacrifice everyday experiences because of his celebrity status.
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