“It was the best part of my birthday,” the comedian said afterward. “Thanks to everyone at MSG for joining in!”
Get yourself a friend like Harry Styles. During his Monday (Aug. 22) performance in New York City (one of the 15 shows slated for his extended residency at Madison Square Garden), the 28-year-old pop star summoned the might of thousands of fans in his sold-out crowd to sing a very special — and loud — “Happy Birthday” to his longtime friend James Corden.
Corden, who turned 44 on Monday, posted a video capturing the full moment to Instagram the following day.
“There is a friend of mine tonight, it’s his birthday,” the comedian captured Styles telling his screaming audience from the stage, which is atypically located right in the middle of the venue’s floor. “His name is James. I was wondering if you would please help me sing happy birthday to James. Is that OK, New York?”
“If you don’t want to, say ‘Move on,’” the “As It Was” singer joked. But of course, no one objected to the impromptu celebration. “OK, are you ready? Three, two, one!”
Styles then sang loud and proud into the microphone for the first line of the song before letting his fans take over for him, filling the arena with their voices. “Friend points!” the Grammy winner cheered afterward.
“I can’t believe you did this H!” Corden wrote in his video’s caption. “It was the best part of my birthday. Thanks to everyone at MSG for joining in!”
The Late Late Show host and Styles have been friends since 2015, when the Harry’s House musician first started appearing on Corden’s show as part of his former boy band, One Direction. In July, Corden opened up about his superstar pal in a radio interview, revealing that Styles smells like “summer in a bowl,” and joking that he’s “annoyingly tall.”
Watch Harry Styles sing “Happy Birthday” to James Corden with thousands of fans below:
