Written by: Angela N. | Photo: Harry Styles and Trevor Noah, February 2023 (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
When a band splits up, there’s always that one person everyone knows has been tagged for bigger things than the synchronicity of choreographed moves. When Destiny’s Child split, we witnessed the formation of the Queen of The Hive, Beyonce. When NSYNC took a hiatus, Justin Timberlake’s career was born. And when Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger’s brainchild, One Direction, decided to call it quits, it marked the beginning of a long, successful career for Harry Styles.
When 1D was formed, we knew Harry as the charming sixteen-year-old with a go-lucky approach to life and a head full of beautifully shaggy, curly locks. Although the workings of a boy band are more collective than individual, Harry’s personality and talent found a way to stand out.
His knack for creating simple yet deeply relatable lyrics shone through when he co-wrote “Something Great” and “Perfect.” During his time in one direction, we could also see how genuine of a person he was from how freely he interacted with his fans.
Harry Styles chopped off his locks when the boy band split, and with it came an evolution of his sound and presence. In an interview, Harry said that he didn’t feel connected with his emotions while he was in 1D, “I didn’t really feel anything, and we’d go through real highs in the band and stuff, and it would always just feel like a relief. Like, oh, we didn’t fail. That feels like a massive relief.’’
His career from then has been a series of experiments in search of his voice. It started with the launch of his debut single, “Sign Of The Times,” which won him a Brit Award. His following two albums, “Harry Styles” and “Fine Line,” solidified his style to be a signature mix of pop and classic and soft rock that borrows elements from icons including David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and Mick Jagger.
In the just concluded 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Harry took home the Album of the Year award for his 2022 Album “Harry’s House.” Harry’s House shows vulnerability and skill that had yet to mature in his previous projects. It had songs like the hit “As It Was,” where Styles tugged at our heartstrings by including his goddaughter’s voice, and “Matilda,” where he wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable and talk about his friend who had been emotionally neglected.
Critics have labeled Harry’s House as his most authentic work yet. It’s not a surprise, given that Harry said the album was not something he felt he had to make a hit out of. Instead, he was just having fun with it.
His authenticity has also shown in his sense of style. He ditched the casual tee and semi-dapper look of a teen in a boy band and embraced what can only be defined as iconic. His close relationship with Gucci has seen him serving us a custom blue dress that he adorned on the cover of US Vogue, a black lace jumpsuit, and the unforgettable outfit Dorothy outfit he wore for “Harryween.” He isn’t afraid of bold cuts, extra shimmer, and a bit of fur.
It has been beautiful to watch and listen to Harry Styles come more into himself. His will be a career for the ages.
Check out “Harry’s House” below!
