Harry Styles

Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks, One Night Only at The Forum, 2019

Harry Styles is one of the most influential singers within the music industry as he has climbed through the charts year after year. In 2010, the singer was on The X Factor, placed with four other boyband-ish young men to create the hit band One Direction. Their rise to fame was quick and influential as their music became extremely popular. And what’s not to love about five young men in skinny jeans? Though, in 2015, Styles left the band to create a name in music for himself. Although his previous band had much success, the group decided to pursue other career options. Quickly, Styles’ career skyrocketed after releasing his debut hit single “Sign of the Times” in 2017. He quickly rose to fame after releasing another single, “Sweet Creature”, from his debut album Harry Styles in 2017. He has over 34 million listeners each month on Spotify and sold out his 2021 Love on Tour. Styles continues to create music and reach top hits on the billboards.

Not only is Harry Styles great to look at, he prides himself in inclusion and self-love while also being an activist for the Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ communities. At the beginning of his career, Styles focused mainly on sentimental singles, aiming towards love, confidence, and self worth. As he progressed as an artist, he was more vulnerable and willing to speak to his sexuality, heartbreaks, and fear of losing himself to the music industry. Many fans connect with him because they believe he is true to himself and that his lyrics are relatable to real world struggles. Some of his music is upbeat, catchy, and feel-good whereas other songs omit real feelings of doubt, loss, and sadness. He is arguably one of the most popular artists in the world and cherishes every second he gets to perform for his loving fans.

Following the breakup of his band, Harry Styles released his debut single, Sign of the times. This release highlighted Styles’ vocal talent that went under shadowed in his previous stint boy band One Direction. The pressure was insurmountable with this realize as it became the defining moment of the singer’s capacity to be successful as a solo artist, a feat that many ex-band members struggle to achieve. In an interview, Styles speaks to the meaning of the song. He states, “The song is written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there’s a complication,” squashing the rumors of the song being about his previous group, One Direction (Geffen). The song belongs to the genre of pop rock, showcasing both vocals and guitar. The use of guitar in the opening seconds of the song immediately captures listeners, followed by the singers’ unique vocal sound. The interviewers also highlights that death in childbirth is a continuous theme in rock music, making this song fall into the genre of classic rock. He is also able to successfully write about feelings of sadness, which speaks to his level of comfort defining his own emotions.

“Sweet Creature” perfectly encapsulates the soft and calming nature of Styles’ voice. His vocals are unmatched as the light guitar plays in the background. The song mostly highlights Styles’ talents as a vocalist. Sheer talent and drive, the song was released before he released his debut album. With calming and simple lyrics, Styles manages to capture feelings of love and lust. He emphasizes passion though his lyrical genius while singing “We’re still young / Dunno where we’re going / But know where we belong.” By being able to articulate feelings that many young individuals have, he gains more authenticity from his audience. He speaks in an interview saying, “Maybe there’s one thing in there that only they’ll notice about them…It’s so much easier to say something in a song than it is to say it to someone and I think it’s really amazing to be able to communicate through that and be able to wrap up everything that you want to say in three and a half minutes and say it in a song.” Which I think perfectly displays Styles’ truth and heart when speaking about his music. Truly, an icon.

“Woman” signifies a slight change in genre as Styles begins to write about his sexuality. Many popular artists take a long time to be comfortable enough to share their own sexual feelings, but Styles speaks to his in his debut album. Which in turn, furthers his career and credibility as a sexual being, making his fans and listeners realize that he is human, not just a celebrity. It also emphasizes real feelings of jealousy. He sings, “I hope you can see / The shape that I’m in / While he’s touching your skin,” with soft guitar in the background which is then taken over by deep instrumental transferring the audience to another place with Styles. It is as if the drums are the sheer feeling and deepness that jealousy takes through the body. This feeling is further captured with the use of guitar and the slowness that the song emits. This song reveals the artists raw talents on the guitar.

This song not only expresses true vulnerability but Styles’ ability to share his challenges with the world. Authenticity is so key to being a successful artist in the 21^st century. It shines on the piano as well as just Styles’ powerhouse vocals. In an interview with Apple Music’s Sane Lowe, Styles responds to Lowe’s question of the meaning of the song, to that, Styles replied, “The chorus says like “What am I now? Am I someone I don’t want around?” – it was a big moment where I was kind of asking myself – “What am I doing?” I kind of started to feel threads of where I could see myself becoming someone that I didn’t want to be.” (Woods). His ability to write his songs with such eloquence and heart are what separate him from other artists in his genre.https://storyofsong.com/story/falling/embed/#?secret=bhCFFudAJ4

An up-beat hit single, “Golden” rose to the top of the charts when released. Styles’ lyrics play on his fun-loving side while also talking about his love life. The song is catchy and an extreme summer vibe. Styles sings, “Take me back to the light / I know you were way too bright for me / I’m hopeless / Broken / So you take me back to the light” which correlates to his feelings of doubt within himself, but emphasizing the person who is his target audience showed him what feeling “Golden” was like. He, again, is channeling his inner feelings and expressing them through his music. Although an upbeat song, he is still able to highlight his own emotions and then capitalize on how this person makes him feel, and how he looks up to their beaming presence. When it came out, I remember rolling down all the windows to my car and listening at full volume while driving past the ocean. Main character moment.

Once again, Harry Styles does it; a catchy tune with an immaculate vibe. “Walk in your rainbow paradise / Strawberry lipstick state of mind” what does that even mean? Honestly, I don’t even care — I feel these lyrics in my bones. I felt like dancing around my room in my towel and singing into my hairbrush. Electric.

“I want more berries, and that summer feeling” perfectly describes the summer anthem that is “Watermelon Sugar”. This hit single rose to the top charts in 2019 when the album was released, and continues to be played continuously on the radio. Styles capitalizes on his sexuality as well during this hit when in concert he stated, “It’s also about the female orgasm. But that’s totally different. It’s not really relevant.” (Lash). OK Harry, of course it is relevant. Here, one can see how important sexuality is to Styles. He is no longer lightly referencing his sexual tendencies, he is confident enough to make a literal song about the female orgasm. This is also important to Styles’ career because he highlights his sexual encounters through his music, which is important for a rising artist to gain the trust of his fans.

TPWK is Harry Styles’ brand. He believes in treating every human with kindness, respect, and love. He highlights these feelings with lyrics such as, “Maybe we can / find a place / to feel love / and we can treat people with kindness” which perfectly demonstrates his full heart of passion and love.

Although Harry Styles solo career just begun in 2017, his fans are already wanting more music from him. His album Fine Line was rated by Rolling Stones in 2019 as one of the top 50 albums of the year. With impressive vocals, a heart of gold, and curly boy-band hair, Styles has easily captured the hearts of so many. Today, Styles is juggling the role of solo artist while also launching his acting career. Many find it unfortunate that he is dating again, too. What a shame. I thought a woman from Denver like myself could really steal his heart away.