Singer and actor Harry Styles is the first superstar of a new pop culture. And not just because of his songs: the 29-year-old has become the greatest idol of Generation Z with his friendly mindfulness and calm, approachable demeanor.
When it comes to popularity, Harry Styles is often compared to the likes of David Bowie and Mick Jagger. At first glance, the comparison is obvious: Rolling Stones frontman Jagger also let the fans freak out by strutting across the stage like a peacock or raging around like a hurricane. And bowie? Last but not least, he was known for his clothes that had never been seen before at a rock concert: colorful, weird, screaming. Styles is taking all these stylistic devices to a new level and, like its predecessors, is enchanting a new generation, its generation. After all, he comes so close to her star spheres that the now 79-year-old Jagger felt compelled to reject such comparisons: “I was much more androgynous,” Mick complained in the “Sunday Times”: “He doesn’t have a voice like me , nor does he move like me on stage; he only bears a physical resemblance to my younger self. Which is okay, he can’t change that.”
With which he has a point, because at second glance, superstar Harry Styles is really a completely different, a new guy. For example, when he wears dresses, pearl necklaces or painted nails, it is not to provoke or to play with sexual ambiguity: the young Brit is more interested in a new normality that is more open than the old pop world, friendlier and, despite all his extroversion, one thing above all : facing! “I don’t feel like I have to justify myself,” he said in an interview about his sexuality. This sets a mark for today’s LGBTQ+ community. On stage, it’s not uncommon for fans to throw him a rainbow flag. After his public outing, he called out to an Italian fan from the concert stage: “Congratulations, you’re a free man!”
He is not the first pop star to break social rules in this way: Bowie and Jagger also wore feminine clothing or flirted with homosexuality. But 20th-century rock stars were all about the rebellious effect, the shocking confrontation; they resisted for the sake of the breach. Harry Styles, on the other hand, doesn’t wear his clothes to start a discussion about his sexual orientation – he wears them because he wants to, for everyone. He stands for not breaking role models, but rather opening them up calmly and establishing a new perspective on a broad basis. This is not a defiant pose. This is the gentle, friendly normality of getting used to it. His gender-neutral fashion style is meant to please. For example, in 2020 he became the first man to be pictured alone on the cover of Vogue magazine – in a blue Gucci dress, and he just looked good. This makes Styles a superstar today. His solo albums have sold nearly 100 million copies, he is a role model with decency, charm and charity – Jagger’s appearance in the context of “drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll” was very different.
But how did the boy, who was born on February 1, 1994 in the small village of Redditch in the central English county of Worcestershire, become this trendsetter; the future of pop culture? It all started in 2010 – the year of his first appearance. At the suggestion of his mother, the then 16-year-old took part in the British talent show “The X-Factor”. It didn’t make it to the finale, but two judges liked Styles and a few other contestants so much that they formed a boy band: One Direction. Along with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne, Harry took third place on “The X-Factor” – the start of a world career. By 2015, the band released five studio albums that sold millions of copies. One Direction went on four world tours and won numerous awards.
Harry Styles, long-haired and with classic rock star moves, was stylized by the marketing machine as a womanizer and leader of the group – which he quickly hated: The last One Direction album “Four” was released in 2015.
The solo career then started in 2017, and here a new Harry Styles appeared immediately – within nineteen minutes. That’s how long it took for the debut single “Sign Of The Times” to top the US I-Tunes chart after it was released. The ballad brought Styles’ new incarnation a lot of attention and recognition – not only from the fans, who immediately felt his fresh approach, but also from the music critics. After a month, the debut album “Harry Styles” was released, followed by the first solo world tour. Making his acting debut in the Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk that same year added to the lift.
In 2019 the second album “Fine Line” was released with hits like “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You”. Styles had expanded his musical spectrum, experimenting with indie, soul and rock influences. The album is already considered a classic. And “Treat People with Kindness” in particular developed into a fan favorite: “Treat people kindly”! A motto that the stage person Harry Styles lived up to from the beginning of his solo career and that also adorned his T-shirts before the song even existed. Styles uses his fame to give a podium and space to those who feel invisible or insecure. His songs offer followers a place of acceptance, a family. Because even if society has evolved, queer people are still discriminated against every day. Styles fights against it. He is also progressive in other ways, supporting organizations such as Black Voters Matter against violence, racism and prejudice.
In 2022 he starred in two Hollywood films, “Don’t Worry Darling” and “My Policeman”. In May of the same year, his third studio album “Harry’s House” was released, which delighted critics and audiences alike. As in his “house”, he invites you to take a look at his emotional world and his thoughts. Last Sunday he won his third Grammy Award. Mick Jagger has had four so far. But Harry Styles is still young.