Mick Jagger doesn’t agree with people comparing him to fellow recording artist Harry Styles.
The comparisons between the 78-year-old Rolling Stones band member and the 28-year-old One Direction artist happen partially because of how both men sometimes wear dresses and makeup. Jagger told The Sunday Times that he has an “easy relationship” with Styles and likes him as a person but disagrees that Styles commands the same stage presence.
“I mean, I used to wear a lot more eye make-up than him,” Jagger said, “… Come on, I was much more androgynous.”
The U.K.-based singer added, “He doesn’t have a voice like mine or move on stage like me; he just has a superficial resemblance to my younger self, which is fine — he can’t help that.”
Styles is a big fan of Jagger and has been linked to him throughout his career, People reported. The One Direction singer mimicked some of Jagger’s outfits for music videos and even did an impression of the Stones legend for an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
Also, both Styles and Jagger are known for wearing heavy eye makeup and dressing in flamboyant outfits that grab attention.
Styles has made headlines on several occasions for his tendency to wear ballgowns to red carpet events and, famously, on the cover of Vogue magazine. “It’s funny because I don’t think of myself that way [as a style icon]… but bringing people together is the thing I’m most proud of,” he said during an interview at the time, per the Daily Mail.
“To not wear [something] because it’s females’ clothing, you shut off a whole world of great clothes,” Styles continued. “And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.”
Jagger also spoke about other personal topics beyond the comparisons to Styles. In another part of the “Sunday Times” interview, the Stones singer discussed how he processed the death of former Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who died in August 2021 at the age of 80.
“I don’t really expect him to be there any more if I turn round during a show,” Jagger said. “But I do think about him. Not only during rehearsals or onstage, but in other ways, too … I miss him as a player and as a friend.”