Harry Styles sent the internet’s meme machine into overdrive this weekend following his show-opening performance of the single “Aperture” at the BRIT Awards on Saturday.
Released just over a month ago, “Aperature” is his first new music following a lengthy three-year break — so long that it sparked rumors of a possible retirement from recording — and the BRIT song-and-dance represented his first time back onstage since playing the 2023 edition of the U.K. awards.
The hype
The BRIT peformance followed a January appearance at the Grammys, where he presented the Album of the Award to Bad Bunny. It’s part of a carefully plotted series of promotional events — which the March 8 Netflix live special Harry Styles: One Night in Manchester announced on Monday and a double-dip as host-performer March 14 on Saturday Night Live — hyping his forthcoming album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, and sold-out world tour… and setting up a potential run to next year’s Grammy Awards.
“Aperture” gives a hint of the aesthetic that will define the singer’s fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, which will be released on March 6 and contains 12 tracks that promise a new era for the artist. The track features a mix of such genres as progressive house, alt-pop, and dance pop, with a melody engineered for the club. It was produced by Kid Harpoon, who has previously worked with Styles on major hits like “As It Was,” “Adore You,” and “Watermelon Sugar.” Styles explained in interviews the reason behind the rhythmic, disco sound of the single, stating in his interview with Capital FM: “I just want them to come ready to dance.” It is clear that, judging by the album’s name, the cover (which features a disco ball), and this single, Styles’ next musical phase will be mainly focused on danceable songs with an electronic style.
Before the single’s release on Jan. 22, Styles’ team sought to drum up interest via a tactical marketing campaign that included putting up posters with the phrase “We belong together” in several cities, with links that led to the singer’s official sites, and holding listening parties in different cities around the world, including New York, Mexico City, Sydney, and London. These events sparked curiosity, as fans who attended began sharing breathless details of the music across social media. However, the campaign turned out to be a double-edged sword, setting such high expectations that many listeners and critics were disappointed when they finally heard “Aperature” — not an ideal launchpad for his Grammy prospects.
The reaction
The single is a departure from the music on Harry’s House, Fine Line, and Harry Styles. His previous records are known for following a very pop-rock and synth-pop line, and the “Aperature” change-up resulted in highly polarized opinions. The Fader called it “plodding,” while Pitchfork said it was a “five-minute slow burn” whose payoff “isn’t quite as rewarding” as his past fare. On the flip side, The Guardian gushed that “Aperature” was “a joyous, quietly radical track,” and NME hailed “Aperature” as “a house-y, dancefloor-ready track that takes him in exciting new directions.”
The divisive reception carried over to the Billboard charts. “Aperture” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100; however, only two weeks later, the single experienced a steep drop, a potential bad omen for the commercial prospects of Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally as well as the lead single’s Grammy prospects for Record and Song of the Year.
Recording Academy voters are keenly aware of artists’ cultural cachet and commercial success, and if the public rejects Styles’ new sound, it will likely have a negative impact on his awards chances. The run-up to the album release over the next few days is extremely important. Styles is obviously big enough to just do whatever he wants at this point, but he need look no further than a couple of other seemingly bulletproof male pop stars as cautionary tales. Neither Shawn Mendes (with Wonder) nor Justin Timberlake (Man of the Woods) have yet to recover from new-sound missteps in recent years.
The instant virality of the BRIT Awards performance of “Aperature” might reverse the sales decline and reenergize the track on the charts and set up the powerful debut Kiss All the Time needs to become part of the Album of the Year Grammy conversation in what is shaping up to be a stacked field.
The Grammy implications
Styles might already be at a deficit in the Album of the Year race before any sales are calculated. He infamously turned off many viewers and critics when, after winning that top Grammy for Harry’s House in 2023, he declared, “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often.” The tone-deaf remark sparked backlash that will require an intense goodwill effort over the coming months, something the charismatic singer should be able to pull off.
Provided Styles resets the narrative and the full album delivers a cohesive and innovative vision, Kiss All the Time could still secure nominations in Album of the Year or Best Pop Vocal Album. In this sense, “Aperture” becomes both a test and a risk: the track sets the tone for how the Recording Academy will evaluate Styles’ artistic evolution in 2026. If the nominations pan out, Styles might be in the same rarefied air as Billie Eilish, Adele, and Taylor Swift, getting nominated for virtually anything and becoming a certified Grammy darling. If not, there could be another course correction after this disco party plays out.
