Catching Up with Harry Styles

Thumbnail: Harry Styles 4/11/2018 O2 Arena by Erin McCormack (CC BY 2.0)

While you know him as the charming and fashionable global music sensation he is now, we remember Harry Styles as the lively, charismatic member of the popular English-Irish pop boy band- One Direction. Regardless of the version of him you are a fan of, the fact remains that Harry has been around for a long while, and he does not need much introduction.

For the benefit of new Harry Edward Styles fans, the 5ft10 star was born on February 1, 1994, in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, to thriving landlady Anne Twist and finance expert Desmond "Des" Styles. Although his early childhood was punctuated by the turbulent waters of divorce and moving around to gaining step-siblings, he still describes it as a great childhood.

Harry’s great career started blooming from an early age when he sang covers on his grandpa’s karaoke machine. He recorded songs like Elvis Presley’s “The Girl of My Best Friend.” As the head singer of the Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School band, White Eskimo, he led them to victory at the local Battle of the Bands competition.

The One Direction Era

Harry’s journey to stardom started in 2010 when his mother nudged him to audition for the household British Television show, The X Factor. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much luck and was eliminated early in the show.

However, the lemon soon became lemonade when he formed a band with four other former participants in July 2010, and they were known as One Direction. Speaking to New Musical Express, a British music website, in 2017, Harry revealed he had suggested the name to the group, and they had accepted it.

The band competed in the Groups category of the X Factor show, climbed the ranks to the final, and finished in third place.

Regardless, the group had won millions of hearts across the United Kingdom during the show, and this would come in handy later for the dreamy boys. Their debut album, Up All Night, spread like wildfire and holds the record for the first British debut album to reach number one in the United States.

The group is, to date, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time, delivering hit singles like "What Makes You Beautiful," "Live While We're Young," and "Best Song Ever.” Within just six years, Harry Styles and his friends (Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik) received over 200 awards, including four MTV Video Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and seven Brit Awards.

In an unexpected turn of events, the shy Zayn Malik exited the band in 2015, and a year later, the group went on an indefinite hiatus till date. However, the story was only just starting for Harry Styles.

Solo Career

Harry’s transition from teen/dance pop style in One Direction to a more mature, somber pop rock was a smooth transition. In 2017, he released his debut self-titled album- Harry Styles.  Riding on the wave of his One Direction popularity, his solid fan base rallied behind him, and the album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and the United States. The lead single, “Sign of the Times,” topped the UK Singles Chart and spent 87 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100.

It was almost like the world was patiently waiting to see more of Harry Styles. As soon as he decided to go solo, he was welcomed earnestly with an overwhelmingly positive reception. This positivity continued as the singer has added many plaques to his cabinet. At the moment, Styles has received three Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, and six Brit Awards.

Beyond music, Harry has had his fair share of the action in Hollywood. 2017, he debuted in Christopher Nolan’s epic war film Dunkirk (2017). His character, Alex, was a soldier fighting for his life against the threats of the Second World War. After that, Harry starred in two other 2022 movies, Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling and Michael Grandage’s My Policeman, where he played a significant character in the romantic drama.

After taking the world by storm with Love on Tour in 2023, the English singer-songwriter might be on a short hiatus until further notice. The tour to promote his last two albums, Fine Line (2019) and Harry’s House (2022), was in seven legs and spanned over 22 months. It is safe to say the 29-year-old might not be on the road for some time.

In the meantime, you can still get the best Harry Styles on TicketX. TicketX is the latest secondary ticket marketplace for the cheapest Harry Styles tickets worldwide. With just a 3% commission, we are your best bet to see Harry Styles live when he announces his next tour.

For now, we have cheap last-minute tickets to Harry Style tribute events coming up this year. Gather with other One Direction/ Harry Styles fans at these tribute events that showcase the best of Harry and his former boy band. Affordable tickets are available on TicketX for the following events:

• Harry Styles vs One Direction, January 27, Saturday, Subterranean, Chicago, Illinois

• One Direction vs Harry Styles, February 2, Friday, Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• The Music Of Harry Styles, February 10, Saturday, Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre Port Chester, New York.

Personal life

Right from his time with One Direction, Styles found it hard to deal with the hyper-visibility that comes with fame. This has generally affected his use of social media, and he tries as much as possible to avoid controversy. However, as long as he is Harry Styles, he can only run from that life.

Despite his relatively well-established relationship with Olivia Wilde since 2021, there are still speculations from some fans about his sexuality. Harry has repeatedly debunked such rumors insinuating that he is queer. The words that stem from his role as a gay police officer in Tom Burgess’ movie ‘My Policeman’ are unfounded, as Harry stated, “I think everyone, including myself, has your journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it.”

What Does 2024 Hold for Harry Styles?

Harry Styles has yet to announce any tour for 2024, and while we wait to follow him on the road again, TicketX is selling cheap tickets to any of his tribute events in January and February. In 2022, Harry teased the possibility of an upcoming album. He shared this in his interview with Rolling Stone so we can expect new music from him soon.