On Friday, April 7, 2017, Harry Styles blessed the world his first single as a solo artist called "Sign of the Times." The debut of Harry as a solo artist has been extremely anticipated ever since One Direction went on a self imposed hiatus at the end of 2015. Most people expected him to be the first of his bandmates to release his own material, but it was, in fact, Niall Horan who dropped the first solo material with his single, "This Town", in late September. So, how does Harry's new single compare to that of his bandmate?
Prior to Friday, Adele held the record for the fastest rising song to number one on the iTunes chart in 50 minutes, but Harry beat that record in 18 minutes.
Styles' song breaks away from the pop sound of One Direction and gives him the chance to showcase his powerful vocals in the ballad. It gives fans a clear understanding of the type of music Styles likes to listen to. While cohosting BBC Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw, Styles said, "I think it’s hard to not have influences from what you grew up listening to.”
His inspiration is extremely diverse; it ranges from Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones to Norah Jones and Savage Garden. Styles has made it clear that he draws inspiration from classic rock with his wardrobe, especially his white sunglasses that resemble those of Kurt Cobain, but now he is able to show it in his music as well. This will allow him to expand his fanbase beyond dedicated One Direction fans. Billboard declared that Styles, "delivered a true spacey rock ballad, something that might fit in more with David Bowie’s catalogue or perhaps even an epic Nineties rock jam like Spacehog’s 'In the Meantime' than it does with today’s top 40.”
The only problem with "Sign of the Times?" According to Nick Grimshaw is that the song is impossible to sing along to. The falsetto chorus is so high that it makes it quite a challenge for people who are incapable of singing like myself, but we can pretend, right?
Styles is set to perform "Sign of the Times" for the first time on Saturday Night Live on April 15, which will also be his first performance as a solo artist. The episode will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Not only will people tuning in be able to see Styles perform his debut single, but musical guests on SNL perform two songs, meaning fans can expect another single off of Styles' upcoming album to drop within the next week, meaning there is such little time to prepare.
If "Sign of the Times," the first song Styles wrote for the album, is any indication of what the next single and the album will be like, I am sure it will leave me speechless. Styles says his album is his favorite album to listen to and I can't help but think it will be mine too.
