FEATURE:
The Digital Mixtape
PHOTO CREDIT: Amanda Fordyce for Rolling Stone
a global megastar turns thirty. Harry Styles is one of the most recognised and respected artists in the world. His third studio album, 2022’s Harry’s House, is his best yet. Formerly with boyband One Direction, Styles has really blossomed as a solo artist. Not only establishing himself as a phenomenal songwriter; he is also one of the greatest live performers of his generation. I am going to end this feature with a playlist of his best solo tracks to date. Before that, AllMusic provide detailed biography of the amazing Harry Styles:
“Global pop superstar, songwriter, actor, and social advocate Harry Styles transitioned from boy band fame to massive solo success with his anthemic pop-rock hits, iconic fashion sense, and crossover appeal. As a member of the British boy band One Direction, he topped the charts in the early 2010s, toured the world to play for millions of screaming fans, and sold albums by the bucketload. Branching out on his own in 2016, his solo material took a more rock-influenced approach -- reflecting the influence of childhood favorites Queen, Elton John, and the Beatles -- while still delivering the pop sound his faithful fans desired. His debut set, Harry Styles, reached number one across the globe and he soared to greater heights in 2019 with his multi-platinum follow-up, Fine Line, home to the Grammy- and Brit-winning smash "Watermelon Sugar." More accolades followed for Styles with 2022's Harry's House, another Grammy-winning, worldwide chart-topper that was supported by a record-breaking, two-year tour.
Born in Redditch, England, in 1994, Styles was raised in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, and he made his first foray into music with a high school band named White Eskimo. In 2010, he left home and joined the seventh season of The X Factor, where fate (and Simon Cowell) would eventually lead him toward a life-changing opportunity with four other young men. As One Direction, Styles and his bandmates Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne would release five albums from 2011 to 2015, hitting number one across the globe and selling millions of records to an adoring and rabid fan base that drew comparisons to the fervor at the height of Beatlemania. In early 2016, after Malik had already parted ways with 1D, the remaining foursome announced an indefinite hiatus.
Months later, Styles signed a solo deal with Columbia. Reflecting the influence of childhood favorites like Queen, Elton John, and the Beatles, Styles' solo material took a more serious and rock-based approach, while still delivering the pop sound his faithful 1D fans desired. With the help of Grammy-winning producer Jeff Bhasker (who had worked with Kanye West and Bruno Mars), Styles put together a small band and, after rehearsing the songs, headed to Jamaica for two months to record an album. The plaintive "Sign of the Times" was released as its first single in April 2017 and quickly rose to the top of the charts across Europe. The self-titled full-length followed in May and debuted at the top of the charts in Australia, the U.S., and across Europe. Later that summer, he made his movie debut as a soldier in Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning epic Dunkirk, which was the top film in the U.S. the week of its release, making Styles the first British artist to secure a number one debut single, album, and film in the same year. He set off on a lengthy worldwide tour that lasted from September 2017 through July 2018, then began recording his second album with producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, both of whom worked on his debut.
Taking time off from the sessions -- which took place at various studios in California, England, and Nashville -- in 2019, Styles inducted Stevie Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, co-hosted the Met Gala, and modeled for Gucci. The finished album, Fine Line, was released in December and found the singer adding influences as varied as Childish Gambino-styled funk and Bon Iver-esque Baroque folk to his repertoire. While the hit single "Adore You" made a splash around the world, the multi-platinum, international Top Five smash "Watermelon Sugar" was ubiquitous in 2020, taking home a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and winning a Brit Award for British Single of the Year in 2021. He also added additional acting credits to his résumé that year, joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Eros in the film Eternals and the casts of Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman.
When his Love on Tour kicked off in late 2021, Styles added a headlining slot at 2022's installment of Coachella to his schedule. He also released the driving synth-forward single "As It Was," which topped charts in over two dozen countries across the globe. That song landed on his third full-length, Harry's House, which arrived in May. Produced yet again by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, the '70s-inspired pop LP featured guests John Mayer, Pino Palladino, Blood Orange, and Ben Harper. It also topped numerous global charts, including in the U.K. and on the Billboard 200, and took home the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. In between tour dates, Styles found the time to star in 2022's Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman. In late July 2023, Love on Tour concluded, becoming the tenth highest-grossing tour of all time”.
To nod to a music colossus turning thirty on 1st February, I am have collated a playlist with some of his amazing tracks. There are some deeper cuts alongside the bigger tracks. I hope that those not familiar with Harry Styles’ music will connect and find something they like. He is a remarkable artist. One is going to enjoy a long solo career. An actor too, I am predicting this year will be pretty busy for him. In terms of his fashion, live sets, music and words, there is nobody in music like him. He is an artist…
WE should treasure.