Artist of the Year Harry Styles Made Harryâs House the Place to Be in 2022
A memorable album and the hottest tour ticket around made Styles a force to be reckoned with in 2022
As another wild year in entertainment heads towards a close, it would be nearly impossible to discuss many of the biggest pop culture moments of 2022 without talking about Harry Styles. If breaking Billboard records and releasing a third solo album (which then earned him six more Grammy nominations) wasnât enough, Styles also spent the past few months heading one of the most in-demand and oft-discussed tours of 2022. Donât worry, darling, there was also a foray into movies that saw the artist on the film festival circuit, too. For one reason or another, Harry Styles was the name on everyoneâs lips.
Styles offstage operates mostly within a tight-knit circle of trusted collaborators, and pulled in some of his favorite co-writers and producers to begin laying the foundation for Harryâs House, released in May 2022. The results were strong â Stylesâ latest full-length outing is a pop-rock record that dazzled upon arrival and ended up having the legs to remain relevant as the year wore on.
Lead single âAs It Wasâ sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping 15 weeks, the longest reign by a British artist and by an an artist with no features or accompanying acts. As the record extended, Stylesâ name was No. 1 on the charts the same week a film with his first starring role was No. 1 at the domestic box office.
Harryâs House was a breath of fresh air, kicking off with the buoyant âMusic for a Sushi Restaurantâ and wrapping with the minimalist, emotional âLove of My Life.â Tucked in the 13 tracks are small peeks into Stylesâ daily life, confessional moments of intimacy, and thoughtful encouragements, like the tender âMatilda.â The gentle ease of âCinemaâ and glow left behind by âDaylightâ ensure that the B-sides are far from filler. Itâs an album that felt true to this moment in Stylesâ career â itâs self-assured and calmer than the intensity of his self-titled debut or the seductive melancholy of Fine Line.
When Styles took Harryâs House out on the road and added songs from the record to the set list of the wonderfully never-ending âLove On Tour,â things really kicked into high gear. Residencies have become something of a trend in the business of live shows, which is still struggling to find stability in a Covid-rattled world, but Styles perfected the mini-residency with his 2022 outings, setting up shop in a city for weeks on end and letting the crowds flock his way.
Getting into Harryâs House quickly became the hottest ticket in town, and the most dedicated among the Harries would take to sleeping on the sidewalk or waiting in August New York heat for a shot at the best spot in the pit. The most diehard fans might have even been caught hopping from city to city, forming a boaâd and bejeweled caravan. Whether enjoying the show from the floor or closer to the rafters (for this writer it was the latter, for what itâs worth), the environment at one of Stylesâ live shows was positively electric.
Part of fandom is the creation of inside jokes, rituals, and routines, and a Harry Styles concert has its own fingerprint, from the outfits to the energy. Jump in the conga line that always pops up during âTreat People with Kindnessâ or always wonder what could have been.
