Former One Direction member and teen heartthrob Harry Styles has flamboyantly begun to pave his way out of the boyband lifestyle and into the solo lifestyle.
Besides his five albums with his former band, 23-year-old Styles has completed his own album, which is already on the top 10 charts in more than 50 countries. The album, written entirely by Styles, is self-titled and was released May 12 worldwide. Several songs have already taken off majorly, including a Billboard top 10 hit called “Sign of the Times,” and an indie-vibe tune titled “Sweet Creature.”
Styles has already promoted his album on major American shows, such as “Good Morning America” and “Saturday Night Live.” He performed for British radio station BBC on May 12, and was a guest host on the “Late Late Show with James Corden” from May 15 to May 19.
During an early morning performance for “Good Morning America,” Styles sang a never-before-heard song from his new album titled “Carolina.” With its unexpected bluesy feel, Rolling Stone magazine called it “a very Beatles-esque rocker.”
Immediately after performing “Carolina”, Styles caused fans to jolt awake with one simple question- “Do you guys mind if I sing an old one?” The fans replied with a mix of screeches and squeals before Styles began singing “Stockholm Syndrome,” a hit off of One Direction’s fourth album.
People magazine said, “Harry makes it his mission to please his fans.”
On May 5, Styles offered tickets for his upcoming tour on Ticketmaster. Due to popular demand, his tickets sold out in under seven seconds. He has set a Ticketmaster record for the most amount of tickets sold in under ten seconds.
Freshman Emily Ranieri said, “This is so impressive from a guy that’s only 22 years old. From the beginning, I knew he would be successful as a solo artist.”
Alongside his impressive career as a musical singer/songwriter, Styles has also taken up a career as an actor, and his acting career is going better than expected.
In 2012, One Direction guest-starred on the popular children’s comedy “iCarly.” Styles was most notably critiqued for his “horrible” and “laughable attempt at acting,” according to the New York Times. It was clear that people were mildly confused when Styles returned in 2016 announcing that he would star in a Christopher Nolan movie titled “Dunkirk.” For a person who was known to the public to be lacking in acting ability, this was an unexpected step.
“Dunkirk” is set for release in July 2017. Since that announcement, pre-sale tickets for the majority of North American movie theaters have been sold out.
On May 9, Styles announced after his performance on “The Today Show” that along with “Dunkirk,” he would be acting again for the big screen. In an interview with Apple Music, he revealed an upcoming documentary about his life as a beginner solo artist.
He said, “I’ve never had the chance to write an entire album on my own, so this is a very exciting opportunity.”
Junior Jasmin Shah said, “Seeing him go from being in a band, and having no acting ability, to going solo and being in two movies in a matter of just five years, to me, is amazing. I’m a huge fan.”
Styles, with no doubt, will be successful in both his acting and singing career. Alone for the first time in the spotlight without his band members, he will definitely have the support of old and new fans to help keep him on track during his unforgettable journey.
How will you show your support to Harry?