On March 23, Harry Styles announced the release date and album cover art for his upcoming 13 track album “Harry’s House” on May 20, 2022. Right away, I just knew the vibes from this album would be amazing. When I first looked at the album cover, I could tell it would be very different from the last two that he came out with. It almost seemed more mature than his previous two. Around a week after the album announcement, he gave us another surprise: a new single was to be released on April 1. Thank goodness it wasn’t an April Fools joke. After hearing about this news, my friends and I were very excited. Friday, April 1, couldn’t come soon enough.
After riding the Bridgerton high the week before, I couldn’t help but have a feeling that his first single in over two years was going to be a hit. And it was. According to Spotify, “As It Was” was the most streamed song in the United States in one single day. It had 8.3 million streams, beating Olivia Rodrigo’s 8 million streams for “drivers license.” If I am being honest with myself, I played both songs on repeat when they came out because they are amazing.
Now, I would like to discuss the single itself. First, I would like to say that I love it when artists use voice memos or voice recordings in songs. Harry Styles first did this in “added Cherry“ off of his second album “Fine Line.“ He took old voicemails from his previous relationship and them to the song's end. I just loved that the listener could feel Harry’s connection to the music, and he accomplished that through the voicemails. Using voice memos or recordings in songs gives it a personal touch. In “As It Was,“ the music starts with Harry’s goddaughter saying, “Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you.“ Right from the start, you are hooked. I mean, how could you not be? The voice is so cute!
This single is like no other song he has written. It has a very indie-pop vibe that I am living for. It’s a song that you could listen to to get ready in the morning, but also you could wind down with it at night. His calming voice while singing creates a different atmosphere to the song. I love that his voice is almost the same volume as the music playing along with him. In other words, his voice isn’t at the forefront of the song until the end. That’s when you can hear him. I have listened to many pieces in the indie genre of music that do that. As someone who is also a big fan of indie and pop, this song is perfect. You can’t help but listen to it on repeat!
The music video for the song came out the same day. I loved it. Was I jealous of the girl in the blue jumpsuit … of course … but that’s beside the point. I loved the lighting and the end of the video when the church bells start to ring, and he is dancing around with a massive smile on his face.
I love Harry Styles mostly because we have watched him grow as an artist and continue to exceed expectations. His lyrics, music and meanings behind music videos continue to grow. It is fun to think about how far since his One Direction days. I recommend the music video and listening to his new single. Don’t forget your calendars for May 20!
