On October 11th, Harry Styles dropped his new single “Lights Up” without any promotion or warning. Fans were left in a fanatic haze due to the buildup to the bombshell single and the fact that this would be the first song he’s released since his debut album “Harry Styles” in 2017.
While he didn’t do any promotion of the single prior to it’s release, Harry Styles tweeted out “Do”, causing fans to explode on Twitter and make Harry Styles and “Do” the top trending topics on Twitter that week! After this tweet, leaked images of new music from Harry Styles leaked from international spotify accounts, highlighting the chaoticness of the impending release of a new Harry Styles single!
(Image from: https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/harry-styles-sends-fans-meltdown-20470277)
After Harry’s mysterious tweet, posters started popping up in major cities like New York and Los Angeles with the phrase “Do You Know Who You Are?” written on them. While any passerby might have seen these posters as some strange art piece, Harry Styles fans automatically knew it was connected to him due to the fact that underneath the phrase was an acronym spelling out “TPWK”, which is Harry Styles’ trademark mantra “Treat People With Kindness”. As more and more of these posters popped up fans began to feel as though Harry was plotting SOMETHING and began to blow up twitter even more with Harry Styles buzz and I’m sure even my twitter followers were fed up with all my theories of what he could possibly be planning.
On the day of it’s release, Harry didn’t just drop the single and let the world listen to it simply because he lives for the dramatics and loves to watch his fans build up with anticipation. So, Harry Styles released a website in which anyone could go to, input their name, and get a sweet affirmation signed by Harry Styles himself. This website was not only a sweet little anecdote to build his ego, but was a way for him to give back to his fans, make them feel good about themselves and show his own gratitude and care for his fans. The website was such a cute little addition to get before the single because it made me as well as other fans realize how much Harry Styles cares for his fans and would do anything to make them smile which not many singers or celebrities do for their fans (which is why he is forever and always a true king but that’s just me!).
(image from: https://doyouknowwhoyouare.com/)
When I tell you, I screamed when I opened YouTube and saw a countdown to a primere for a music video on Harry Styles’ vevo account, you probably could’ve heard me across the world which is something all Harry Styles fans could relate to that moment. Counting down to midnight, fans were going crazy for the release of the single and music video and as soon as it was released, you would’ve though Twitter and every other social media platform was strictly dedicated to Harry Styles! Starting with the actual sound of the single, “Lights Up” is drastically different compared to his debut single “Sign of the Times”. “Lights Up” has a more “radio friendly” feel to it which will reach out to people outside of his normal fan base and will hopefully get more radio play than his previous singles. “Lights Up” also has a subtle electronic sound to it along with acoustic guitars to allude to Harry’s past sound. “Lights Up” is pushing Harry Styles into a new direction that diverges from his previous classic rock sound into a more modernized rock sound that will continue to resonate with his fans as well as classic rock lovers.
(image from: https://www.stereogum.com/2061089/harry-styles-lights-up-video/video/)
Getting into the music video, this is probably his best one yet. The music video shows Harry Styles shirtless, surrounded by men and women creating a very sensual atmosphere. Harry Styles has always been very ambiguous and doesn’t like labels when it comes to his sexuality, but showing his fluid sexuality in this music video and by releasing it on National Coming Out Day shows that Harry Styles cares about pandering to the LGBTQ+ community as well as staying true to himself and expressing himself in a way he identifies with most. Other parts of the music video that stood out to me were the artistic shots and lighting throughout the music video. The harsh, neon lighting is a stark contrast in comparison to his previous music videos and sound, showcasing the fact that this new era of music will be unlike anything else Harry has released.
(image from: https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/culture/128271/fans-praise-harry-styles-for-serving-bi-energy-in-lights-up-music-video/)