Harry Styles' 'Stratospheric Success' Blamed for Ongoing 'One Direction' Rift 

Harry Styles' extraordinary solo rise is being blamed for deepening tensions with his former One Direction bandmates, with insiders telling OK! the singer's "stratospheric success" has widened the divide between the members of the defunct group.

The 32-year-old pop star has been enjoying a hugely successful solo career since the boyband went on an indefinite hiatus, and he is now promoting the launch of his new album Kiss All The Time – Disco, Occasionally with interviews that have landed global headlines, including one with Runner's World magazine in which he told about how he has become a clean-living fitness fanatic as it brings him peace from the fame he was thrust into as part of One Direction.

A music industry source told us tensions inside the former boy band have been simmering for years but have worsened as Styles' solo achievements have grown to eclipse his ex-bandmates' efforts to strike out as performers in their own right.

The insider said: "Harry's career has exploded to a level that's miles beyond where the others ended up, and that kind of imbalance inevitably creates tension. When one member of a former group becomes one of the biggest solo stars in the world, it changes the dynamic completely. There's a lot of pride involved and, if we're being honest, some bruised egos too. It has quietly fueled resentment for a long time."

The source added: "None of them are ever going to publicly point the finger at Harry's success because they all know what the band meant to each other and to the fans. There's still a lot of history there and a lot of shared memories. But privately, people close to them know that the sheer scale of Harry's solo career has inevitably created distance. When one person reaches that level of fame and influence, it shifts the balance in relationships in ways that are hard to ignore."

The insider continued: "They all started out exactly the same way – five young guys thrown together on The X Factor in 2010, chasing the same dream. But once the band ended, their lives and careers moved in very different directions. Harry went on to become a global superstar with huge tours, massive albums and worldwide recognition, while the others have taken different paths. That contrast has made things complicated behind the scenes and it's one of the reasons the bond between them hasn't fully recovered."

Styles first rose to fame as part of One Direction alongside Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.

The group became one of the biggest pop acts in the world before going on hiatus in 2016.

Since then, Styles has built a hugely successful solo career, reportedly amassing a fortune estimated at around $300 million and headlining major global tours, including his upcoming Together, Together tour, which is set to begin in Amsterdam in May and includes an unprecedented 12 nights at London's Wembley Stadium.

Friends say Styles has also undergone a significant personal transformation in recent years that has set him apart from his ex-bandmates.

Once known for a party-heavy lifestyle and high-profile relationships with figures including the late television presenter Caroline Flack, singer Taylor Swift, model Kendall Jenner and actor Olivia Wilde, the musician is now described as focused on health and discipline.

According to those close to him, Styles now follows a largely vegan diet, trains regularly for marathons and has even deleted social media from his phone in an effort to maintain mental balance.

He ran the Berlin Marathon last year in under three hours and placed 6,010th among 26,706 runners in the Tokyo race.

In his Runner's World interview, conducted with Japanese writer and marathon runner Haruki Murakami, Styles explained running had become an essential space for reflection.

He declared: "Running is my processing place. It's where I can really be by myself."

The singer has also spoken about how deeply he was affected by the death of his former bandmate Payne in October 2024. Payne, who was 31, died after a drug-crazed fall from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

Styles recently admitted he still struggles to talk about Payne's death.

He said: "Full transparency, even the idea of talking about it, I struggle with that a little bit. It's so difficult to lose a friend."

Despite the shared grief, the surviving One Direction members have not reunited publicly on stage. They attended Payne's funeral separately but are said to have arrived and left the event separately.

One insider said the bandmates remain cordial in some cases but tensions persist with Styles.

The source said: "Harry's career has climbed to a level the others simply haven't reached, and that reality has quietly changed the dynamic between them. When one member of a former band becomes one of the most recognizable solo stars in the world, it inevitably alters how everyone relates to each other."

The insider added: "Whether anyone is willing to say it openly or not, that huge level of success has made it much harder for the group to find their way back to the closeness they once had. The gap between where Harry is professionally and where the others are now has created an awkward distance, and it's one of the reasons reconnecting as friends – let alone as bandmates – hasn't been easy."