The X Factor UK published an extended cut of Harry Styles’s 2010 solo audition on July 30, 2022. The six-minute archival video adds singing and interview footage to the familiar audition edit: Styles begins with Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister,” then sings Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” a cappella after Simon Cowell asks him to perform without the backing track.
What the extended audition footage shows
Styles was 16 when he auditioned for the seventh series of the UK show in 2010. He introduced himself as being from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire. The longer cut opens with him singing “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. Cowell then asks him to sing without the track, and Styles performs “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder without accompaniment. Teen Vogue’s account of the extended cut and ABC Audio’s report describe that sequence.
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Cowell’s request, as quoted by ABC Audio, was: “I don’t know whether it’s the track that’s throwing you, but can I hear something just you, without any music?” The change in song and accompaniment is a key difference from the familiar broadcast edit: “Isn’t She Lovely” is not the first song in the extended audition.
What the longer cut adds beyond the songs
The additional material includes more of Styles’s interview and a conversation about his bakery job. When asked about popular items, he reportedly answered, “The Viennese fancy is always popular… the Millionaire’s shortbread.” Clyde 1’s report also identifies the judges present as Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh.
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The longer clip also preserves a moment of self-assessment. Teen Vogue quotes Styles saying, “I think I could do it, but with your help I could be a lot better than I am.” These lines offer a glimpse of the conversation around the audition, rather than only the performance.
How a solo audition led to One Direction
Styles auditioned as a solo contestant. He and four other boys did not advance in the Boys category, but the show brought them together as One Direction. The group reached the X Factor final and finished third, according to Clyde 1. That later group formation gives the old audition added context: the extended clip shows Styles before he became part of the band.
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When the footage was released
The X Factor UK uploaded the extended cut to YouTube on July 30, 2022. ABC Audio reported the release on August 1, and Teen Vogue and Clyde 1 covered it on August 2. It is archival material from the 2010 audition, not a newly recorded performance or a 2026 release. The YouTube result identified the video as “UNSEEN FOOTAGE! Harry Styles EXTENDED CUT X Factor UK Audition | Amazing Auditions”; a contemporaneous description is available from Teen Vogue.
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