‘You look pretty good down here, but you aint really good’
2016 was a big year for Harry Styles; from a drastic haircut, his huge Attitude Magazine spread which including three covers, an entire section of the magazine dedicated to photos of things he enjoyed, two interviews, and well – basically becoming the focus of the entire issue, and filming his first movie ‘Dunkirk’ from mastermind Christoper Nolan – he threw himself into his newly found freedom. He took control of his own circumstance.
He also kept refining his skill of finding every sneaky photo about to be taken of him and looking directly at the culprit. Seriously, he never misses it. From restaurants to shopping centers or any other random place fans see Harry out in public, there’s no such thing as a stolen photo of the lad; we sort of wish there was someone around to catch the reactions of the people who do try to sneak those photos when they find out they’re caught.
As far as projects go, he’s kept out of the spotlight for most of One Direction’s hiatus, which is something fans expected, but more than that, something he deserved. Family, friends, home, and finding a balance are things that Harry puts a lot of himself into, they’re things he cherishes. His ability to reconnect with all of them during this time off the road has done him well.
Harry found solo representation in the form of Dawbell as his solo projects began, and the company has been incredible in handling him as a client so far. Fans were relieved to see him with a new team for projects, he’s long deserved support and to be surrounded with people who want what’s in his best interest.
Rumors began swirling about solo Harry in the form of a three album deal with Columbia Records for $80 Million in June of 2016. Sources said that some fuel to the rumor mill came from songs registered on ASCAP listing Harry as the performer. However, within days, he was only credited as the writer of those four songs.
As rumors do, that news did get fans talking. If Harry were to put out a solo record, what would it sound like? Or is it possible that those rumors weren’t true at all and would he instead forgo his own record and write for other artists instead?
In March of 2017, Harry took to social media and gave fans part of the answer to some of their questions. First, there was yet another series of three white photographs. Then, there was what appeared to be cover art with the date April 7th and the song title ‘Sign of the Times’.
Since Harry let fans know the title of his solo single, the news hasn’t stopped. Nick Grimshaw quickly teased his interview with Harry on the day of the release of his tune, followed by a few other radio shows. He was confirmed to be a guest on Saturday Night Live alongside Jimmy Fallon on April 15th and he’s got himself a performance spot on Graham Norton on April 21st.
While all of that is incredible, the moment we’ve all truly been waiting for is here. Harry’s single – ‘Sign of the Times’ is here and we can’t stop listening to the tune. We’re completely mesmerized.
The day before the tune premiered, fans learned that it would be a five minute and 40-second rock ballad, and it did not disappoint. The song sounds like something out of a dream, but not one that’s all golden, it’s the dream we all worked so hard for…just to find out that it’s not what we thought it would be at all. It’s a song that says all of the things we’ve been trying to figure out a way to say, and leave it up to Harry to do so with enough realness and a tinge of pain. The song speaks volumes, and they’re all Harry’s own.
‘Sign of the Times’ is certainly emotional and we couldn’t have asked for more, in fact, this is out of the realm that we expected – and that’s saying a lot. We’ve always been floored by Harry’s natural talent, but you can tell he put everything he has into this song, and his soul-baring through the track speaks volumes.
With lyrics like ‘you can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky’ and ‘we could meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here‘…it’s about loss. The song is personal, and Harry says it’s the one he’s most proud of writing. Without prying deeply, Harry did suffer losses in his life, this song seems to be an ode to people who’ve left him behind…perhaps it sums up all the things that he wished could have been said, the things that we forget to say. Maybe the song is about summing up the feelings that hurt.
‘We don’t talk enough, we should open up before it’s all too much
will we ever learn? We’ve been here before, it’s just what we know.‘
This is a song that leaves an impact, and not just on its listeners, but on the industry as a whole. It’s going to go down in history as one of the most talked about songs in music – and not just because it’s the first single from boy-bander Harry Styles, but because it’s art put to music – it’s an experience.
Thanks for having me. Love you. H
— Harry Styles. (@Harry_Styles) April 7, 2017
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