Harry Styles

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In August 2015, One Direction announced an extended hiatus. By February 2016, Styles had left the group's management, becoming the second member to do so after Zayn Malik. In June 2016, Styles signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. He enlisted American producer Jeff Bhasker to executive produce the album, with most songs written by the two alongside Bhasker's associates Tyler Johnson and Alex Salibian, engineer/bassist Ryan Nasci, and guitarist Mitch Rowland. Recording sessions took place in Los Angeles, London, and the Gee Jam Hotel Recording Studio in Port Antonio, Jamaica, where Styles and his team had a two-month writing retreat in autumn 2016. The album was primarily recorded at The Village in Los Angeles.

In Their Own Story

On 31 March 2017, Styles announced the album's lead single 'Sign of the Times', released on 7 April. The album name, artwork, and track list were revealed on 13 April. Styles performed 'Sign of the Times' and 'Ever Since New York' on the 15 April episode of Saturday Night Live. On 21 April, he appeared on The Graham Norton Show for his first televised solo performance in the UK. On 9 May, he performed 'Carolina', 'Sign of the Times', 'Ever Since New York', and a cover of One Direction's 'Stockholm Syndrome' on The Today Show. The album was officially released on 12 May. A day later, he held a surprise concert at The Garage in London, and a similar show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on 19 May, where he invited Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks as a special guest. Proceeds from both shows were donated to charity. On 15 May, 'Harry Styles: Behind the Album' was released exclusively on Apple Music, a 49-minute documentary showing footage from his writing and recording sessions in Jamaica and Los Angeles. Styles was the musical guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden every night from 15 to 18 May. In support of the album, he embarked on his first solo tour, Harry Styles: Live on Tour, which ran from September 2017 through July 2018 and visited North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America. On tour, he debuted two unreleased songs, 'Oh Anna' and 'Medicine', originally written for the album.

Reader's Guide

The album's opening track, 'Meet Me in the Hallway', is a psychedelic pop ballad compared to John Lennon and David Bowie vocally, with aspects of Pink Floyd on guitar. 'Sign of the Times' was conceived in Jamaica as a pop rock and soft rock ballad, written and recorded in three hours; it peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles chart, and is certified 5x platinum by the RIAA. 'Carolina' is a vaguely Caribbean groover recalling Blur's Britpop style. 'Two Ghosts' is a country-influenced soft rock ballad about former lovers, certified platinum by the RIAA. 'Sweet Creature' is a lullaby-like folk acoustic ballad discussing the strength of a bond that endures despite bad times, certified 2x platinum by the RIAA. 'Only Angel' veers towards glam rock and contains dialogue from the film 'Barfly' (1987) by Charles Bukowski. 'Kiwi' is a rock song about a classic femme fatale, certified platinum by the RIAA. 'Ever Since New York' is a slower rock troubadour track with lyrics meditating on loss and longing. 'Woman' has elements of funk rock. The acoustic closer 'From the Dining Table' features lush, multi-part harmonies and recalls the confessional style of the album's opener.

Did You Know?

• The album was preceded by the lead single 'Sign of the Times', while 'Two Ghosts' and 'Kiwi' served as the second and third worldwide singles.
• According to the IFPI, 'Harry Styles' was the ninth global best-selling album of 2017 with sales of one million copies.
• Styles performed a cover of One Direction's 'Stockholm Syndrome' on The Today Show on 9 May 2017.
• The album features dialogue from the film 'Barfly' (1987) written by Charles Bukowski, one of Styles's heroes.
• On tour, Styles debuted two unreleased songs, 'Oh Anna' and 'Medicine', which were originally written for the album.