Harry Styles arrived Down Under and was quick to take part in a “disgusting” Australian tradition.
The “As It Was” chart-topper played his first Aussie show in Perth Monday night and stunned fans when he drank out of his Adidas sneaker.
“This is one of the most disgusting traditions I’ve ever [heard of],” Styles said, referencing the “shoey,” which was popularized by Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Videos captured by fans show the One Direction alum, 29, filling up his shoe with an alcoholic beverage, before chugging the liquid in front of a cheering crowd.
“I feel like a different person,” he joked as he slipped his $780 Adidas x Gucci shoe back on his foot.
“I feel ashamed of myself. It feels so personal. Such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people,” he went on.
“I’ll be discussing this with my therapist at length. At length.”
Fans were quick to react on social media after videos from the concert began circulating online.
“Sweaty shoe juice no thank u,” one person wrote, while another asked, “why r ppl cheering i feel sick.”
A third person chimed in, “i cant defend this.”
Read Related Also: Angelina Jolie First Became Happy With the Way She Looked After Becoming a Mother
Advertisement
Others suggested the “shoey” may have been a nod to Perth-born Ricciardo, whose merch Styles has previously been seen wearing.
“HE MADE A SHOEY?????? Daniel Ricciardo is very proud,” one person tweeted, while another wrote, “Daniel Riccardo approves this.”
Ricciardo, 33, previously told Australian radio hosts Fitzy and Wippa that Styles actually wears his merch “all the time.”
“We have a mutual friend who is, let’s say, very close to me and it’s someone close to him as well,” he explained, when asked about the viral photo of Styles wearing his shirt.
“When the picture came out on social media, the mutual friend was like, ‘I can’t believe this hasn’t been picked up before because he wears the shirt all the time. He [Styles] is always in public wearing the T-shirt.’”
Styles arrives in Australia following a big night at the 2023 Grammys earlier this month.
The former boyband member took home Album of the Year for “Harry’s House,” which also won the award for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Since One Direction went on an indefinite hiatus in 2015, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer has released three albums, starred in blockbuster films such as “Dunkirk” and “Don’t Worry Darling” and performed a record-breaking 15-night residency at Madison Square Garden.
