Harry Styles Steps Back Into the Spotlight

Making his start on season seven of The X Factor UK in 2010, British musician Harry Styles has since risen to A-list stardom. After spending so much time in the spotlight, Styles has changed his career trajectory several times. Most recently, Styles has come back from a brief break with the announcement of his new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

The early years

Making his debut to a large audience, Styles started solo on X Factor UK. While on the show, the judges decided to place Styles in a group with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson. Together, the boys formed the band One Direction. 

Even before the end of their time on X Factor UK, the band amassed popularity throughout the UK. Their video diaries and show performances, such as Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” contributed to their huge popularity with audiences. 

Though the band didn’t win, their popularity became akin to a modern-day Beatlemania. Encouraged by their fans, One Direction released their first single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” on Sept. 11, 2011, less than a year after their X Factor UK debut. They followed the single with their first album Up All Night on Nov. 18, 2011. Both were initially only released in the U.K. and Australia, with the U.S. release following in early 2012. 

The band went on to release four more studio albums and sold out four world tours over the course of four years, 2012-2015. To add to their accolades, the band made 29 appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart across all their albums, though never managed to hit the No. 1 spot. The band amassed nominations and wins at many major music awards, including the Brit Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and more. 

On March 15, 2015, it was announced that band member Malik would be leaving One Direction. Despite the devastation of fans, the band continued onward. “Drag Me Down,” the first single on what would be the band’s final album, Made in the A.M., was released on July 31, 2015. The album  was released on Nov. 13, 2015, without Malik.

“History” was released as the third and final single for the album and was a sort of love letter to the fans. Around the same time as the album release, the band announced its indefinite hiatus. Referred to as a “well earned break” by Horan on X, formerly Twitter, the band was rumored to come back after 18 months. 

Since then, the band members have all pursued solo careers. This never stopped fans from trying to spot members hanging out, hoping for signs that there was no bad blood following the split. The boys have been spotted together more recently, at each other’s concerts or just simply hanging out. On Oct. 16, 2024, Liam Payne died after falling off a hotel balcony in Argentina, sending shock waves through fans, many of whom were still hoping for a reunion. 

Solo

Following their split in January 2016,Styles was getting to work behind the scenes. 

In 2017, Styles starred in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. In the same year, he released his debut solo album, Harry Styles, making sure to deliver the message that he is now an artist in his own right. The album had a 10-song tracklist and was far different from anything fans saw from Styles while he was in One Direction. 

The debut single “Sign of the Times” was released on April 7, 2017 and reached No. 4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. “Sweet Creature” was the only other track to make it to the Hot 100, peaking at No. 93. 

After an impressive solo debut, Styles continued to be very well received by audiences. Straying from releasing an album a year as Styles had  in One Direction, his next album, Fine Line, released in 2019. 

Fine Line and Harry’s House

Styles took his time touring on the tour Harry Styles: Live on Tour, spanning from September 2017 to July 2018. Styles wasn’t slow to come out with more, releasing his second album Fine Line on Dec. 13, 2019.

Post-One Direction, Styles showed the audience that he didn’t need the flash of a boy band to earn his claim to fame, as shown through his lyricism and intimacy in Harry Styles. Fine Line took Styles a step further, solidifying him as a soloist. 

“Watermelon Sugar,” “Adore You,” and “Lights Up” were standout singles for the album with, “Watermelon Sugar” giving Styles his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

Though those were among biggest songs on the album, the album had slower, deeper tracks. These were found in songs like “Falling,” “To Be So Lonely” and the title track “Fine Line.” 

Fine Line was made even bigger by the long running Harry Styles: Love on Tour. Styles toured internationally from Sept. 2021-July 2023. On Love on Tour Styles played 15 straight shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 

One of the most iconic moments of this residency wasn’t even the performance. Styles’ MSG shows have become associated with his iconic pose, spreading his arms and looking out toward the arena. Styles first did this when One Direction performed at MSG in 2012; the pose brings a small connection to the One Direction days for fans. 

While still touring Fine Line, Styles released his third album, Harry’s House. Fans who had seen Styles earlier on tour were surely jealous as he began incorporating the new songs into his setlist. 

“As it Was” was the first single off Harry’s House and gave Styles his longest Billboard No. 1 appearance, lasting a total of 15 weeks. 

The aesthetics of Harry’s House were far different from those on Fine Line, with Harry’s House being much brighter and more upbeat. 

Songs like “As It Was” and “Late Night Talking” were the most-played on the album, with the majority of the 12-track album also having a more pop vibe. The exceptions to this are “Matilda,” “Boyfriends,” “Little Freak” and “Love Of My Life.” All of which weren’t huge commercial successes, but remain fan favorites. 

As if Styles wasn’t busy enough touring, Styles launched beauty brand Pleasing. The brand started with nail polish, but has since expanded to include fragrance, apparel and vibrators. Aside from the launch of this brand, Styles also starred in My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling which both released in 2022. He also had a small role in Marvel’s The Eternals, released in 2021.

Break shenanigans

After the 22-month-long Harry Styles: Love on Tour, Styles took a much needed break. Despite being on break, fans were anxious to see him and made sure to keep up with what he was doing in whatever way they could. 

Fan sightings of Styles were widely publicized throughout his break, allowing Styles’ fans to keep up pretty well. 

Styles became a marathon runner and was spotted training and participating in multiple marathons. 

He was in Rome for the announcement of the new Pope in May 2025.

He was also spotted at former bandmate Horan’s show as he toured his third solo album, The Show.

Fans were eager to hear more from Styles, with many theorizing about what was to come and hoping for his next outing to be in the studio. 

Kiss all the time. Disco, Occasionally.

Styles abruptly broke his three years of silence on Dec. 27, 2025, with a YouTube video titled “Forever, Forever.” The video shows lots of fans in line, braiding hair, getting ready and discussing Styles as they wait for a performance. After they’re let into the venue, the crowd sounds still and silent as Styles sits center stage and plays a piano ballad. The video ends with applause and the words “We Belong Together.” Reminiscent of the message of One Direction’s “History,” the message seemed to be speaking directly to fans to let them know something is coming. 

Shortly after, fans received the announcement of his new album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. The album’s first single, “Aperture,” is far from anything Styles has done in the past. With an upbeat dance-pop techno sound, the chorus is the repeated lyric “We belong together,” as alluded to in the “Forever, Forever” video. “Aperture” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard and its release was followed by a music video that features Styles being chased and dancing with what seems to be his stalker.

The album is set to release on Mar. 6, 2026, and tour dates have already been announced. The tour, Together, Together, will visit seven different countries with long residencies at one venue in each. The longest of these residencies will be his 30 shows in MSG, surpassing the 15 shows he did there during Love on Tour.

But, does Styles really think he and his fans belong together? When ticket sales began, fans were greeted by a long Ticketmaster queue and, after waiting, were shocked to see tickets priced over $1,000, making shows unaffordable for many. 

Ticketmaster has been under scrutiny for years for its dynamic pricing and resale tactics, and this is no exception. Both Styles and Ticketmaster are facing backlash over the ticket prices for the Together, Together tour. 

Anticipation is still high for the new album, even though the ticket prices are high. If the rest of the album is like “Aperture,” then fans should be ready for the next era of Harry Styles.