When in Australia, do as Australians do: Harry Styles drinks from shoe in Perth

SINGAPORE — Egged on by the Perth concert crowd and a fan who drank beer out of his shoe, British pop star Harry Styles gamely did the same on Monday (Feb 20) but with water instead.

Styles, 29, was taking part in the predominantly Australian celebratory ritual of a 'shoey' — the celebratory act of chugging what is usually an alcoholic beverage out of a shoe after a (sweaty) victory.

Footage (pun intended) seen in a barrage of TikTok videos show the Grammy-winning singer — who is now on tour Down Under — semi-reluctantly filling his designer Adidas-Gucci collaboration sneaker with water, and saying: "This is one of the most disgusting traditions I've ever witnessed", before gulping down the "shoe juice".

"I feel like a different person, I feel ashamed of myself," he quipped in disbelief, before declaring to the crowd of 30,000 fans: "I'll be discussing this with my therapist at length... at length!"

Styles is slated to arrive in Singapore and perform at the National Stadium on March 17. It will be his third time performing here as a solo act — but it is unlikely to feature drinking out of a shoe.

Among the other celebrities who have had celebratory drinks from their sweaty footwear are American singer Post Malone, who chugged beer out of his Converse sneaker during a Sydney tour stop in February; American singer Kacey Musgraves, who drank a shot of tequila out a glass slipper in Melbourne in 2019; and Italian motorcycle racing great Valentino Rossi downed champagne out of his racing boot in 2016 after the San Marino Grand Prix.

It has also become a signature move for mixed martial arts fighter Tai Tuivasa, who told ESPN: "I was just thinking what's the fastest way to get alcohol into me after the fight, so I thought I'll just start doing shoeys when I walk out... and it has stuck... It's become my thing now."

But perhaps the biggest repeat offender is Australian Formula One (F1) driver Daniel Ricciardo, who often drinks out of the receptacle that got him over the finish line.

The Perth native is particularly fond of a victory shoey — especially when he finishes on the podium during F1 races.

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He is credited as having introduced the trend to F1 in 2016, when he celebrated a podium finish at the German Grand Prix by performing a champagne shoey.

He has since shared many a boot chug with everyone from Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to fellow race driver Lewis Hamilton and English actor Patrick Stewart.

During a pre-race driver's press conference in Singapore in 2016, the Aussie was asked how it tastes, to which he said: "If the sparkling wine is cold, then it tastes good. If it's warm, then you might get the sweat through it, but the cold taste kills the bad stuff... so it's delicious."

The shoey aficionado also launched a hand-blown glass wine decanter in 2022 in the exact same shape as his racing shoe.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.