After three years out of the spotlight, Harry Styles is finally back with his newly released single “Aperture”, the upcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, a worldwide tour and a shocking yet incredible 30 day Madison Square Garden residency.
Styles first rose to fame in the popular boy band One Direction before going off on his own highly successful solo career filled with award-winning albums and chart-topping hits. Following the massive success of Harry’s House, which had many #1 songs, his three-year absence only heightened the anticipation for his next musical era.
The excitement of the fans is already evident. Within days of presales, stadiums around the world are sold out. According to Kevin Rutherford in Billboard Pro, his single “Aperture” rose to the top of the charts quickly, and has gained lots of popularity, which is building even more momentum for the album. Even with the teaser of “Aperture”, we can already see some differences in his song style – which is going to be super interesting when the album is finally released.
NPR’s Hazel Cills describes the track as “upbeat, disco-y, and fun” making it an ideal reintroduction to the industry. Releasing the single first created a strategic “buffer” time period. Now, everyone has this taste of his album and in some ways it leads people to be even more excited for the release date. He has started to introduce this new twist to his music – not quite disco, but still retro. He is entering his new era of music and starting to explore his style of music, while still staying true to his pop roots.
In addition to his single, his tour is already becoming a phenomenon. The 30-night Madison Square Garden residency is nearly unprecedented, and presale tickets disappeared within minutes – even as Ticketmaster crashed multiple times under the demand. The overwhelming response reflects the lasting impact of Love on Tour, which ran for 22 months and expanded Styles’ global audience greatly. Currently, he is #35 artists in the world, according to spotify stats. He has over 59 million monthly listeners that keep increasing as the excitement grows for this album. Annie McTigue, a sophomore at Darien High School, reports that “this is one of the albums I am most excited for this spring.” McTigue has been a lifelong fan of Styles and is ecstatic for this album.
Merchandise sales tell the same story. As soon as the album was announced on his official website, merch and vinyls were sold quickly. His CD’s, vinyls, and clothing were already completely gone. With this much popularity within the days after his announcement, how much is this album going to prosper in the upcoming months – not to mention it actually being released? The album’s long-term success seems inevitable at this point.
