Harry Styles on Taylor Swift split: 'There's a lot of things that can be right, and it's still wrong'

He may be one of the world's most eligible bachelors but Harry Styles doesn't believe in forcing love. The One Direction star has broken his silence on his brief romance with Taylor Swift, saying he rather use his music as an outlet than focus on any bitterness.

Fans may recall that Styles and Swift dated briefly in 2012. She reportedly gave him his marching orders during a break to the Virgin Islands in January 2013, following an alleged blazing row.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, he discussed the pressures of dating the pop princess. Recalling his horror after seeing paparazzi photos of the pair on their Central Park date, he admitted it was tough being an 'awkward' 18-year-old.

"You're on a date with someone you really like. It should be that simple, right? It was a learning experience for sure. But at the heart of it – I just wanted it to be a normal date", he lamented.

Styles is said to have inspired Swift's tracks I Knew You Were Trouble and Style but he insists that there is no bad blood between him and his former lover. "Certain things don't work out. There's a lot of things that can be right, and it's still wrong.

Following the release of the tracklist for his self-titled LP, speculation is rife that a song called Ever Since New York could be an ode to his time with Taylor. While he understands the importance of music as emotional catharsis, he remains coy about which of her exes the song refers to.

"In writing songs about stuff like that, I like tipping a hat to the time together," he said. "You're celebrating the fact that it was powerful and made you feel something, rather than 'this didn't work out, and that's bad'. And if you run into that person, maybe it's awkward, maybe you have to get drunk... but you shared something.

"Meeting someone new, sharing those experiences, it's the best sh*t ever. So thank you."

Styles recently blew fans away with his debut appearance on Saturday Night Live, delivering an showstopping performance of his chart-topping single Sign of the Times.