Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer. Known for his influence in popular culture, showmanship, artistry, and philanthropy, he is regarded as one of the most influential men in music and fashion and a subject of widespread public interest with a vast fanbase. Styles is considered to be among the most successful solo artists who have emerged from a band.
Styles’ musical career began in 2010 as part of One Direction, a boy band formed on the British music competition series The X Factor after each member of the band had been eliminated from the solo contest. They became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Styles released his self-titled debut solo album through Erskine and Columbia Records in 2017. It debuted at number one in the UK and the US and was one of the world’s top-ten best-selling albums of the year, while its lead single, “Sign of the Times”, topped the UK Singles Chart.
His second album, Fine Line (2019), debuted atop the US Billboard 200 with the biggest ever first-week sales by an English male artist, with Rolling Stone including it in their 2020 revision of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Its fourth single, “Watermelon Sugar”, topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Styles’ widely acclaimed third album, Harry’s House (2022), broke several records, receiving the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2023. It was included in the 2023 revision of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Its lead single, “As It Was”, became the number-one song of 2022 globally, according to Billboard.
Styles has received various accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Grammy Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and three MTV Video Music Awards. His film roles include Dunkirk (2017), Don’t Worry Darling (2022), and My Policeman (2022). Aside from music and acting, Styles is known for his flamboyant fashion. He is the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue.
Early life
Harry Edward Styles was born on 1 February 1994 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, the son of pub owner Anne Twist (née Selley) and finance worker Desmond “Des” Styles. When he was a child, he moved with his parents and older sister, Gemma, to the village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. His parents divorced when he was seven years old. His mother later married business partner John Cox, although they divorced years later. Through her subsequent marriage in 2013 to Robin Twist, who died of cancer in 2017, Styles gained an older stepbrother named Mike and a stepsister named Amy.
Styles said he experienced a “great childhood” and always felt supported by his parents. As a child, he sang covers on a karaoke machine he was given by his grandfather, and the first song he recorded was Elvis Presley’s “The Girl of My Best Friend”. Styles attended the Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, where he was the lead singer for the band White Eskimo, which won a local Battle of the Bands competition. At the age of 16, he worked part-time at the W. Mandeville Bakery in Holmes Chapel. Styles also worked a paper round in the local village and at a stable mucking out horses during his adolescence.
Career
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Harry Styles and List of awards and nominations received by One Direction
2010–2015: The X Factor and One Direction
Main article: One Direction
Styles (left) with One Direction on The X Factor Live Tour in 2011
Following a suggestion from his mother, on 11 April 2010, Styles auditioned as a solo contestant for the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor, singing a rendition of Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister”. After Simon Cowell suggested that the track was not right for him, he instead sang a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely”. He advanced to bootcamp but failed to progress further. Four others in his age group who were also eliminated were put together to form a band in July 2010 to compete in the “Groups” category, mentored by Cowell. The group consisting of Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik practised for two weeks; Styles suggested the name One Direction to his bandmates, which they agreed to. They began to gain considerable popularity in the UK, and within the first four weeks of the live shows, were Cowell’s last act in the competition. The group eventually reached the final of The X Factor and finished in third place.
Legacy
Styles has inspired his fans to dress up for his concerts, leading Fashionista to call the shows “his fans’ Met Gala”. Outfits often include sequins, pink cowboy hats, and feather boas and have been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. In 2023, it was announced that Texas State University will be offering a course on Styles called “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture”.
Many musicians have expressed getting inspiration from Styles and their desire to work with him. Artists such as SZA, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Shania Twain, Olivia Rodrigo, Chris Stapleton, Mark Ronson, Halsey, Lorde, Matty Healy, and Troye Sivan have all voiced their wishes to collaborate with Styles. However, when asked about collaborating with other artists, Styles joked that he is an “antisocial musician”. Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks likened his album Fine Line to Fleetwood Mac’s album Rumours (1977) and commented that she was inspired by him to write new music and poetry.
HARRY STYLES URL LINKS:
Website: http://www.hstyles.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harrystyles
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/harrystyles
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hshq
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harrystyles
X: https://www.x.com/Harry_Styles