By Mackenzie Boyce
After weeks of speculation regarding new music, Harry Styles finally announced a new era with his third studio album. As an avid Harry Styles fan, I could not be more excited to share all the details about his new album and hit single, which is already topping the charts.
Immediately after his U.S. tour came to an end in November, fans began to theorize that Styles would be releasing new music at the start of 2022. After weeks of claims that he would release a song, which was only met with silence, a light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be approaching. A new twitter user, @youarehome, began tweeting cryptic phrases, accompanied by a door with changing backgrounds every day. This was followed up with Harry’s album announcement on March 23, for his new record, Harry’s House, which will be released May 20.
Fans began to speculate that Styles had been hinting at the “home” reference in the album title for months. Theories suggest that his Harryween costumes, which were worn at his two Halloween concerts in 2021, referenced this name. His Dorothy outfit corresponding to the saying, “there’s no place like home,” and his clown costume hinting at an April Fools Day release. He also ended many performances with statements like “send me home” or “are you ready to take it home?” However, Harry spoke on these theories claiming, “I think some of them [his fans] make me look a little smarter than maybe I am.” I guess we won’t truly know what was a coincidence or intentional, but it’s fun to speculate.
Only five days later, Columbia Records donned posters claiming “It’s not the same as it was” in major cities around the world, such as London, New York, and Paris. If you’ve been following Harry for a while, this was clearly pointing to a new single. For his last album, Fine Line, Styles teased his headlining single, Lights Up, with the similar “Do you know who you are?” posters.
The same day as the posters appeared, Styles announced the release of his newest single, As It Was, available on April 1. Usually Harry’s releases are at midnight eastern U.S. time, but as possibly an ode to his home country, it was on streaming platforms at midnight UK time. The single is different from much of Styles’s previous work, encapsulating indie pop and 80s energy. Despite the upbeat backing track, the lyrics are vulnerable and melancholic, a confession of isolation and personal conflict.
Styles never fails to amaze his audience, and it’s no wonder he has become increasingly popular in the past year. We cannot wait to hear the rest of the album in a little over a month. For now we’ll definitely be streaming As It Was on repeat.