Harry Styles
Harry Styles is an English singer, songwriter, musician, actor, record producer and fashion designer. Born in Cheltenham, England, he rose to fame following his appearance as a contestant on the reality competition show The X Factor in 2012. His debut studio album, Fine Line, was released in 2013 and reached number one in over 20 countries worldwide. In 2016, Styles signed a recording contract with Columbia Records and began working on his second studio album, where it was confirmed that he had collaborated with several producers including Jack Antonoff, Pharrell Williams, Steve Mac, Greg Kurstin and Ryan Tedder. He later announced that he had written and recorded songs for his upcoming third studio album. On 23 January 2018, Styles released his second single “Sign Of The Times”.
Early life
Harry Styles was born on 1 Feburary 1994 in Redditch, Wircestershire, England. He grew up in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire where he attended King Henry VIII School, and later studied English literature at Worcester College, Oxford University. In 2010, Styles moved to London to pursue music full-time.
Career
One Direction are a four-piece boyband formed in London, England, in 2009. They consist of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. After signing a record deal with Simon Cowell’s label SyCo, the group gained popularity around the world, releasing five studio albums and eight charting singles. The band became the most streamed act on Spotify
and the best selling music artist of 2013, while their album Up All Night topped the UK Album Chart for six weeks straight. Two of their songs, “Best Song Ever” and “Story of My Life”, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. They won three Brit Awards and received several nominations for MTV Video Music Award, Teen Choice Award, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award, World Soundtrack Award, Echo Award, and MOBO Award. On 15 November 2017, it was announced that One Direction had been dropped from Universal Music Group due to low sales of their latest album, Made in the AM.
In May 2018, the group confirmed that they were working on a fifth studio album, set for release in 2020. The band performed together for the final time on 8 December 2018, during the finale of Britain’s Got Talent.
1. “What Makes You Beautiful”
2. “Little Black Dresses”
3. “Better Than I Know Myself”
4. “Drag Me Down”
2016–2018: Harry Styles and Dunkirk
Styles’ self-titled debut studio album was released in May 17, 2017. The album debuted at number one in many countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. He had been nominated for Best Male Artist at the 2018 Grammy Awards, and won the award in February 2019.
In July 2017, Styles signed with Columbia Records and announced that his second studio album would be titled Fine Line. On October 10, 2017, he released “Sign Of The Times”, the lead single off the album. It reached number one in the US and became his third consecutive song to reach number one in the US.
On December 18, 2017, Styles announced that he would perform at the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, held on February 26, 2018. He performed “Sign of the Times” alongside Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Halsey, Khalid, Maren Morris, Travis Scott, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe, Bebe Rexha, Alessia Cara, and others.
Fine Line was released on April 5, 2018. In August 2018, Styles collaborated with American rapper Post Malone on the track “Congratulations”. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The singer opened up about his mental health struggles in the documentary, Harry Styles: Behind the Music, released in September 2018. In January 2019, he revealed that he suffered from depression during the making of the film.
On June 8, 2019, Styles released his fourth studio album, Flicker, via RCA Records. It features collaborations with Zedd, Tove Lo, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, SZA, and Liam Payne. The album received generally positive reviews from critics; some praised his vocal performance, while others criticized it for being too similar to previous albums. It debuted atop the charts in both the US and the UK, becoming his fifth number-one album in the latter.