Harry Styles - an artist with many faces

Harry Edward Styles, for that is the real name of one of the most popular singers of recent years, is undoubtedly a multifaceted artist. He took his first steps in show business on the stage of Britain’s The X Factor 13 years ago. Since then, he has gone a long way to the top, performing not only on the world’s biggest stages, but also on the glass screen. During his concerts, female fans of all ages literally swoon at the sight of their idol. What is it really like and what else can it surprise us with?

From karaoke to The X Factor

Harry Styles never planned to become the rock star he is today. Like other boys his age, he preferred to play and play ball, although music has theoretically always accompanied him. His first dream was to become a physiotherapist, but fate took a very different turn. He was born on February 1, 1994 in Redditch, a small town in the UK. Although his parents divorced when he was just 7 years old, his mother tried to give him the best childhood possible: “I’m a lucky man, because my childhood was really idyllic. I grew up in a wonderful family that loved me very much.” He has a very good relationship with her so far. As she says, they call and write to each other every day. Deep down, he reportedly still remained a little boy with big dreams.

His first contact with music came when he received a karaoke machine as a gift from his grandfather. He never parted with it for a moment, and the first song he recorded was Elvis Presley’s big hit “The Girl of my best friend.” He later began playing in the school band White Eskimo. However, he didn’t take it seriously, he just wanted to make some money by playing at weddings.

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Ticket to fame

Everything changed when he turned 16. That’s when, at his mom’s urging, he went to a casting call for one of the most popular talent shows in television history. The seventh edition of The X Factor was already underway, but undiscovered talents were still in abundance. One of them turned out to be Harry. He decided to perform the Train band’s song “Hey, Soul sister,” but this did not captivate the jury, which suggested he sing something else. “Isn’t she lovely” by Stevie Wonder proved to be the ticket to the next stage, from which he later dropped out at an early stage. However, he was given a second chance by fate. At the urging of Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, together with three other teenagers, they formed the boy band One Direction.

In addition to Harry, the group included Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson. They were admitted to the live episodes, where they quickly reached the finals of the program. In the end, by the decision of the audience, they took third place, losing, among others. With Matt Cardle.

One Direction

Despite the fact that they didn’t win they signed a £1 million contract with British music label Syco Music. Both the first single “What makes you beautiful” and the first album, which were released in 2011, were huge successes, topping the UK charts. The album “Up all night” was declared the fastest-selling debut album in history. All this has made Harry and his team recognizable not only in the islands, but also around the world. Later that year, they were offered a contract with the American record label Columbia Records, and then embarked on a tour of the United States.

One Direction toured together for nearly five years, releasing a total of five studio albums during that time. So it came as a big surprise when the team broke up in August 2015. The team has officially suspended its activities indefinitely, leaving the door open for the future. However, most of them have embarked on solo careers, including Harry. Just a few months after the group broke up, he signed his first solo contract and joined one of America’s largest talent labels, CAA.

The American Dream

Fans had to wait almost a year for Harry’s debut album. During this time, he traveled all over the world, gathering inspiration and writing lyrics. On April 7, the single “Sign of the time” was released, announcing the debut album. The song quickly reached number one on the UK charts and number four on the Billboard Hot 100, opening the door to his international career. Not only the song itself, but also the video was a great success. A seemingly ordinary video featuring Harry flying among breathtaking landscapes won the Brit Awards in the Best Music Video category.

The album itself has sold millions of copies in many countries around the world, and the singer has entered the top ranks of today’s best artists. The second album, “Fine line,” featuring such hits as “Watermelon sugar” and “Lights up,” was also a huge success. Not only fans appreciated the album, but also many critics, making it listed at 491 of the top 500 albums of all time.

Solo career

A year ago, Harry Styles released his third solo album, which has been his most commercially successful to date in 2022. He has won many prestigious awards, including as many as two Grammy statuettes in the Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album categories. He continues to receive awards in his native country as well, with the success of his latest album culminating in Brit Awards in as many as 4 categories.

The album is promoted by the Love On Tour, which was scheduled to take place as early as 2020. Promotional plans at the time were thwarted by the outbreak of a pandemic. So the singer’s fans had to wait patiently until he could start touring around the world again.

Harry Styles - career — Photo: Depositphotos

Love on tour

Harry Styles, as usual, did not let them down. The tour, albeit belatedly, kicked off just before the release of the latest album, “Harry’s House,” in 2021 and didn’t end until September of this year. During this time, the artist visited North America and virtually all of Europe, including Poland, and played a total of 173 concerts. On July 2, his performance at the National Stadium in Warsaw took place, and tickets sold out within hours. His most loyal fans were already waiting for him a few days before the event. Special lists and duty rosters have even been set up, all in an effort to get the best seat and see the star up close.

Throughout the Love On Tour, the artist gave a true demonstration of his vocal and dance skills by performing the biggest hits from all three released albums. During this time, he changed his clothes many times and, as usual, surprised. After all, it’s no secret that, like singing, she also loves fashion.

The man in the skirt

On more than one occasion, he also appeared in a skirt, wearing lace or with painted nails. He is not afraid to have fun with fashion, as he has shown, for example, by hosting the 2019 MET Gala. At the time, he appeared as one of the presenters alongside Anna Wintour. He masterfully paired his black elegant pants with a lace-up transparent shirt and heeled shoes. On top of that, he appeared in his trademark flowing hair as usual.

Also during concerts, he often appears in pink and sequins, and his creations are far from the accepted patterns. It combines elements of women’s and men’s closet. He is also not afraid of color, and his styling has repeatedly included pink and cornflower shirts. He initiated the men’s fashion of wearing high-waisted pants and pearl necklaces.

First man on the cover of Vogue

He has appeared on countless covers of major fashion magazines, including Vogue. At one of them in 2020, he appeared in a skirt designed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci. Personally, the men have been friends for a long time, and Harry is his muse, eagerly donning his designs for big outings. He has also served as an official brand ambassador since 2017.

With this in mind, a unique fragrance called Mémoire d’une Odeur was also created for both men and women. Harry himself also does not like to be pigeonholed. Although he has never officially admitted his sexual orientation, rumors that he is bisexual have been circulating in show business for years. This is to be confirmed by his works. Full of sensual dancing as in “Lights up” or ambiguous lyrics as in “Watermelon sugar.”

Harry Styles - Vogue — Photo: Depositphotos

Loved by millions

He himself has become known over the years as a intensely loving person. Back in the One Direction days, he was dating one of the most popular singers of all time – Taylor Swift. Known for describing her professions of love in successive chart-conquering hits, and this time she did not fail to mention Harry, who broke her heart. His amorous conquests can also include models Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski. Rumor has it that he is particularly fond of girls working for Victoria’s Secret.

But he also dated women much older than himself, including Nicole Scherzinger, who was on the jury of The X Factor. In his own words, he likes women smarter than him. However, his most popular relationship turned out to be the one with Olivia Wilde. The mature actress, a decade older, seemed to blossom with him, and he seemed happy, too. He even took her with him on tour. In 2022, and this relationship became history. He, however, is not afraid of loneliness: “Iggy Pop once said that he only dates women who will break his heart. When you’re 25, you do exactly that – you meet people who will destroy you. Because it allows you to look inside yourself.”

Debut on the big screen

He met Olivia on the set of her film “Don’t Worry Honey,” where he played the lead role. Nor was this his first adventure with the big screen. He made his film debut in 2017 in “Dunkirk,” directed by Christopher Nolan. The film itself has received very favorable reviews from both viewers and critics. It also received as many as three Oscars, mostly for sound.

Harry Styles also made guest appearances in the Marvel production “Eternals” and last year in “My Policeman.” Few people know that he also applied for a role in a biographical film about his idol, Elvis Presley. Despite his undoubted talent, however, he was rejected due to the fact that he himself is already an icon in the music world. He, however, does not intend to give up and this is not his last word on the subject.

Harry Styles – one of a kind

It would seem that he has already achieved everything: he is talented, handsome and recognized around the world. However, he does not settle on his laurels and continues to create while being an artist in flesh and blood. Over the past decade, we’ve seen him grow from a child prodigy to a full-fledged man who has a lot to say through his music “The amazing thing about music is that a song is for every emotion. Can you imagine a world without music? It would suck (…)” One thing is for sure, we certainly can’t imagine a world without Harry Styles’ music.

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