Word is out in the grapevine that Harry Styles was born to salvage mankind. From his days with One Direction, Harry Styles has blossomed with colour and elan. If flamboyance has found new dimensions with Harry rocking a cyan sweater vest or an unzipped leather jacket, versatility defines his vocal range. Shadowing a ’70s-David-Bowie-image with his bold play of colours, there’s hardly anyone out there who can rock baggy high-waisted pants with satin flares and a pearl necklace with the same pizzazz as a rugged military look in a war drama.
Besides being the first man to appear solo on the cover of Vogue, his two solo albums Harry Styles (2017) and Fine Line (2019) have been peaking best-sellers with chart-topping numbers, and Fine Line listed among Rolling Stone’s ‘500 Greatest Albums of All Time’. With his style being described as a seamless fusion of soft rock and elements of folk and Britpop, Styles has not only established himself as one of the foremost pop figures of recent times but has internalised a unique style that redraws the lines of British classic rock influence and image, while fusing modern pop elements with flowy lyricality. As the golden boy turned 28 last week, we look back on a few of his greatest performances.
Sign of The Times: At the BBC
Harry performed the number with his backing band, from his debut solo album, which he described as a song “written from the point of view of a mother giving birth who’s just been told the child would survive, but she was not going to make it, and has five minutes to tell the child to go forth and conquer”, at the BBC. Sporting a floral suit, the look bearing traces of Chris Isaak, Styles delivered the most moving and immersive renditions of the song, building up from a placid verse to a swirling heavy crescendo, every word stinging deep.
The Chain: BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
Nailing almost every cover he has experimented with, Harry worked Fleetwood Mac’s evergreen classic for Live Lounge and it is safe to say, his friend and mentor Stevie Nicks probably was not disappointed. Easing his wafty voice into the iconic bassline, Styles showcased his vocal range leading up to the loaded outro with an incredible performance by the band. It is not every day we get someone rocking a star-print shirt and a Fleetwood Mac number with such precious ease. Harry would go on to work with Fleetwood Mac later and Stevie Nicks in an interview, talked of him as “the son I never had”. The stars do align.
Falling: BRIT Awards, London 2020
Harry, in a white lace jumpsuit and gloves, standing on water, singing Falling has to be the ultimate tear-jerking experience. From his second album, the piano ballad with its moving, introspective lyrics traced an emotional journey for Styles, which was evident from the calming sincerity while performing the number. The performance, a unique visual experience, often regarded as better than the studio version, saw him serenade the audience live with the number for the first time.
Kiwi: Live for SiriusXM
An out-and-out hard-rock track, Kiwi stands as one of the heaviest songs on his discography. Harry was at his brass-necked best when he performed it to a packed room with energy soaring through the roof. He set the mood for the final number on the setlist with a “You got four minutes, I need you to give me everything you got.” In an outrageous yellow polka-dotted sweater, cobalt blue high-waisted pants and a pearl necklace, a zappy Harry worked the groove to near perfection with band drummer Sarah Jones holding the pulse of a berserk room jumping and headbanging at the SiriusXM secret session.
Watermelon Sugar: Live at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2020
The track that defined his second album, Watermelon Sugar, as described by Styles, is about the “initial euphoria when you start seeing someone”. But we all know it is so much more. For the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, Harry, in a chequered jacket, dropped one of the most stellar renditions of the peppy number — his raspy vocals complemented by an incredible arrangement. The song would go on to fetch him his first Grammy for Best Solo Pop Performance. Nobody made the beach look better.
Juice: BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge
Reworking Lizzo’s outrageously sexy funk-pop number, Harry went all out with his rendition of Juice. In tawny suspenders and high-waisted baggy pants, he swayed and vibed hard to the groove, which was held perfectly by drummer Sarah Jones at the Live Lounge, while toying around with the verses and the bouncy bridge. The cover marked the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the two stars, with them performing the number together at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Oh, to have Lizzo and Styles on a disco floor together, dancing to the beats.
Sledgehammer: Howard Stern Show
Describing the Peter Gabriel legendary number as ‘the best mixed song ever’, Harry covered Sledgehammer with his band at the Howard Stern Show. With an almost flawless sound elevated by the organ, bass and drums, Harry blasted out the difficult track with brazen confidence. The outfit was to drool over, as always, with him rocking an azure jumper, emerald pants and most certainly, the pearl necklace. The former Genesis member took to Twitter to applaud Style’s impressively faithful cover.
