Harry Styles in Berlin: Why is the superstar really in the German capital?

Is Harry Styles now living in Berlin? According to the German daily tabloid Bild, the British singer has bought a flat in the capital – and TikTok users report having spotted him in Berlin-Mitte: dressed in blue, friendly, generous – he is even said to have paid for taxis for strangers.

But why is Harry Styles really in Berlin? A source revealed to Britain’s The Sun newspaper that the pop star is currently working on a new album. And why Berlin of all places? Styles is following in the footsteps of one of Britain’s greatest music legends: David Bowie.

The singer has been spotted several times with producer Kid Harpoon – the man behind his hit album Harry’s House from 2022, including the global number one hit “As It Was”, the best-selling song of the year worldwide.

“Harry wanted to take a break after the mega-success of his last tour and the release of Harry’s House,” says the inside source. “Now he’s working hard on his next album – and like Bowie once did, Berlin seems to inspire him. Harry loves the mysterious. Just like Bowie used to.”

David Bowie’s Berlin – a city that shapes legends

David Bowie lived in Berlin’s Schöneberg neighbourhood between 1976 and 1978 – a time that shaped him both musically and personally. His iconic song “Heroes”, inspired by a pair of lovers at the Berlin Wall, was written during this period.

Berlin was a place of retreat for Bowie: far away from the cameras in London and Los Angeles, and far away from the addiction problem that increasingly burdened him. Together with Iggy Pop, he lived in a small flat at 155 Hauptstraße, painted, composed – and sought peace and quiet.

“I think Bowie wanted to find himself again in Berlin – and he succeeded,” says director Francis Whately, who produced the documentary Bowie in Berlin.

Of his so-called “Berlin trilogy”, “Heroes” is probably the best known. It’s also worth mentioning the atmospheric instrumental piece “Neuköln” (with only one “l”), which has been described by critics as a picture of the mood.

Bowie remained connected to the city. In 1987 he returned to play a live concert in West Berlin – so close to the border that many East Berliners gathered along the wall to listen. Bowie heard people on the other side singing along and later called it “one of the most emotional performances I’ve ever experienced.”

East German police prevented East Berlin youths from listening to a rock concert British pop star David Bowie gave on the west side of the Berlin wall, June 8, 1987. Elke Bruhn-Hoffman/1987 AP

Bowie also produced the entire soundtrack to the iconic Berlin film Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, which tells the story of drug-addicted teenagers from Gropiusstadt.

Is Harry Styles following in Bowie’s footsteps?

The comparison is obvious. Like Bowie, Styles also breaks with gender norms in fashion, wearing skirts, pearl necklaces and silk blouses.

But not everyone is convinced. Bowie’s former producer criticised the attempt to sell Styles as a “modern Bowie” suggesting the context and zeitgeist were too different.

Styles himself, however, has repeatedly described Bowie as a role model; an “absolute hero” who “can do no wrong”.

Does he consciously place himself in Bowie’s tradition? Perhaps. But Berlin today is no longer the Berlin of yesteryear. While Bowie was able to live almost anonymously in Schöneberg, Styles is unlikely to go unnoticed for long in Mitte.

Apparently, most Berliners knew who Bowie was – and didn’t care. Perhaps Styles, who has already been spotted in Berlin without bodyguards, is hoping for the same kind of anonymity?