In December 2015, the famous boy-band, One Direction, announced that they were going to take a break. All 5 of the members decided to take advantage of the break, making their own music as solo artists. The youngest member, Harry Styles, announced his debut album on May 12, 2017. Surprising fans by the album sounding nothing like One Direction, Styles finally had the chance to show his true voice.

Rolling Stone magazine reports, “Harry goes for an intimately emotional Seventies soft-rock vibe.” This album includes 10 songs all with a different type of sound. Styles ties in soft rock, country folk, and of course some pop. He was the lead vocalist in most of One Direction’s songs, making his solo career an easy transition.

The first song that released on the album was ‘Sign of the Times’. This song is mainly about the problems occurring in the world today such as: Black Lives Matter and the Gender Equality marches. ‘Sign of the Times’ is a very powerful song, which is exactly why this was the first song to be shared to the public. A few weeks after this song was released, Styles shared the link on twitter to the full album.

The main songs that are fan favorites and top sellers are; ‘Sweet Creature’, ‘Carolina’ and ‘Meet me in the Hallway’. ‘Sweet Creature’ really brings out Harry’s voice and his harmonizing skills. The faint guitar playing in the background also ties into the country folk vibe. ‘Carolina’ is also very popular due to how different it is for him and the funky music playing throughout the song. ‘Meet me in the Hallway’ is the first song on the album and also one of the biggest tearjerkers. This song is a good beginning to the album because it gives fans a glimpse of what the album will be like.

Personally, my favorite would have to be the last song on the album, ‘From the Dining Table’. This song is in ballad form, showing Harry’s harmonies. His voice can go from low to really high in a matter of seconds, and has little guitar playing in the background. The song is a slow, sad love song. Styles stated in Popsugar magazine, “I’d say it’s the most honest I’ve been. I’ve never written a song like that.”

The album as a whole is really well done and something the One Direction fans were waiting for ever since they broke up. When Styles announced a concert, the tickets sold out in less than 2 minutes, and prices ranged from $800-$1000. Although One Direction is broken up, Styles is a very popular singer who will continue to make music as a solo artist.