Harry Styles is a rockstar. The former One Direction member — a cheeky, curly-haired hearthrob and fan-favourite — isn’t about imitation or emulation of his legendary idols, nor is he rebelling in a plea to lose his good boy image and largely female fanbase — my man simply just IS the real deal.
During my years invested in being a passionate 1D fangirl and not a lot else, I was a self proclaimed Zayn girl through and through. But since the early days, Harry’s glow conveyed potential destined for bigger boundaries — even if Louis was your fave, you knew it. We were all aware Zayn would eventually go on to become an R&B smooth talker; his disconnect from One Direction’s bubblegum pop confinement growing more obvious as did the band’s own prominence. But who is Harry Styles beyond the commercialism and puppeteering?
On his inaugural self titled solo album, Harry Styles is nothing less than a 70s rock-evoking mirage, an old soul shed of all manufacturing and in its shadow leaving authenticity and a brazen composure that reads like a reintroduction. Ten songs in duration, Harry Styles covers a full spectrum of climatic, timeless ballads (‘Sign of the Times’), acoustic, moody love letters (‘Two Ghosts’ and ‘From the Dining Table’), and a whole handful of riff-ridden, screeching glam rock hooks bursting with revealing punk rock tidbits (“I think she said ‘I’m having your baby / it’s none of your business'” on conspicuously titled ‘Kiwi’ and ‘Carolina’s repetitive, “She’s a good girl / she’s such a good girl / feels so good”). Every song finds common ground though, in their shared detachment from sounding quite like they belong in a solid, specific decade.
Although recognising their mutual exclusivity, Harry Styles practises coexistence with his individual aspirations and 1D roots, which he refuses to let define him yet doesn’t let undermine the credibility of his solo musical pursuits; graciously paying homage to what gave him his start instead of treating his history as a burden to his future. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Harry continued to restore humanity’s faith and endorse 1D and the opportunities the group granted him despite their indefinite hiatus, confiding sincerely: “I love the band, and would never rule out anything in the future. The band changed my life, gave me everything.”
Styles’ young Jagger complex has always contained all the mannerisms, qualities and talent of a rockstar. And if the shoe fits, I don’t think rappers, R&B vocalists nor boyband members shouldn’t be rockstars too, each in their own right.
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Words: Laura McInnes / princessloz.wordpress.com
