Harry Styles is definitely reaching new heights. The singer released on Monday the official video for his solo debut single Sign of the Times. He’s giving us a Harry we never knew before.
The new video is just the beginning for a pretty busy week as the singer also debuted a new song and his solo album debuts on Friday, May 12.
Harry’s single ‘Sign of the Times’
Things have gone pretty fast since the first rumors of Harry Styles solo album came along in February. We soon learned that the album would probably be dropped in April or May. After that, it became a nonstop tease in March provided by Harry on his social media, he finally managed to deliver the long awaited songs in April.
We first heard Styles’ solo debut on April 7, when he dropped the track. The single peaked and debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Later on, we learned that the ballad had a pretty deep message. During an interview Styles said the song was “written from a point of view as if a mother was giving birth to a child and there’s a complication”.
Following the release of the debut single, Harry made his television debut on Saturday Night Live, for the first time without his former band-mates; Where he sang Sign of the Times and unveiled a new track, Ever Since New York on April 29.
Harry was determined to continue teasing and dropping in May. On May 2, he dropped a new song, a tender folk ballad “Sweet Creature.” And now just five days before the album debuts, he released the visuals for the song Sign of the Times filmed on Scotland’s Isle of Skye.
The video directed by French filmmaker, Yoann Lemoine, shows us a Harry Styles soaring like an eagle in a melancholic and windy set. The video, which is pretty much Harry singing and yes, flying, had over 3 million views on its first day, and it keeps on counting.
We see a different Harry in this video
So, the video might come as a bit confusing at first, and yes it’s a bit Peter Pan-esque, but I like it. For starters, it doesn’t have too much of a narrative or a plot, it generally just shows Harry walking around and zooming and then going full Peter Pan and flying.But is a bit more than that. Even when the video doesn’t really get the emotional message of the song across, it sure is emotional and gets the melancholy and loneliness the song strikes for.
Turns out we have a lonely Harry Styles, something quite different from what we’re accustomed, that the one we knew surrounded by his former 1D fellow members, standing by himself in an open space. Well, that right there is Harry styles taking off on his lonesome.
Suddenly, he rises up and begins flying in heights reportedly greater that the peak of the Empire State Building. He floats on rivers, waterfalls, and mountains. Goes into the clouds and the sunset as the video keeps showing how actually alone he is.
This loneliness doesn’t come as accidental as it’s actually fitting for the song’s end-times lyrics and marks the beginning of Harry’s breakout as a solo star. And they sure made this message loud ad clear on his very first video debut.
The visuals on Sign of the Times make a clear break from Harry’s past as part of a group.But they also show him taking off on a quite exciting journey by himself, and embracing something new and reaching new heights.
Taking the world by storm
Harry Syles’ week just kicked off with the unveiled video. On Tuesday he made yet another revelation when he revealed a new song on The Today Show. Harry was previously announced as part of the Citi Concert Series’ Today lineup. On Tuesday he kicked off the lineup on his second-ever live solo performance.
Wearing millennial pink, Harmillennialhe stage to grace us with yet another gift this week, a new song called ‘Carolina’.
The song is an acoustic guitar vamp, with a touch of blues to backup Harry’s vocals. “There’s not a drink that I think could sink her,” Styles sings. “How would I tell her that she’s all I think about/ Well I guess she just found out.”
‘Carolina’ is the fourth track Harry unveils for his self-titled forthcoming album which drops on May 12. So far we’ve heard a slow-burning ballad, a contemplative folk tune and now a bit of blues. Can’t wait to listen to the other tracks that made up the 10 list album track.
Harry will soon go on a North American tour starting on September 19th in San Francisco and wrapping it up on October 14th in Phoenix, Arizona. Then he will head to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
Source: Rolling Stone