A decade after One Direction, Harry Styles has cemented his status as one of the world’s biggest pop stars, blending magnetic stagecraft with a modern vision of masculinity.
On Saturday (Sunday in Manila), the British singer will open a new months-long tour with his first date in Amsterdam after launching his fourth album earlier this year.
Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally was released on March 6 and shot straight to the top of the charts in some 20 countries, including Britain, France, and the United States.
It was a spectacular follow-up to Harry’s House, which was released in 2022 and won album of the year at the Grammy Awards.
Spotted at just 16 on The X Factor television talent show, Styles rose to global fame in the chart-topping band formed in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne.
With their catchy pop-rock sound, One Direction, or 1D as they became known, sold nearly 70 million records before splitting up in 2016.
His self-titled debut album in 2017 was followed by 2019’s Fine Line, featuring the hit “Watermelon Sugar” and bringing major commercial success. In the years since, he has drawn a broader and more diverse fanbase.
His album Harry’s House and the 2021-2023 Love On Tour further cemented his transformation, bringing “a bit of the flair back” to what some see as a bland male pop landscape.
He is set to play 12 shows at London’s Wembley Stadium in June, followed by a 30-date residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden before wrapping up the tour in Sydney in December.
Styles has also become a fashion icon. In 2020, he became the first man to appear solo on the cover of US Vogue, wearing a Gucci lace dress and a crinoline skirt by Harris Reed.
From sequined jumpsuits to feather boas and pearl necklaces, his outfits recall stars such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, known for pushing gender boundaries.
Fashion designer Nik Shimmin called Styles “a breath of fresh air” who represents “a version of modern-day masculinity that a lot of people want to see.”
Styles has declined to label his sexuality, drawing accusations of “queerbaiting” from some critics. Publicly, he has only confirmed relationships with women and has reportedly become engaged to US actress Zoe Kravitz.
Though private about his personal life, Styles has become more outspoken politically, encouraging young Americans to vote and raising funds for LGBTQ causes, said Louie Valencia, a humanities professor at Texas State University.
Styles, who will also be the subject of an Oxford summer course titled “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity,” told the Times he was excited for the tour.
