One Direction even collaborated with Sheeran pre-fame, he co-wrote their 2012 single “Little Things” and he was brought back to help with “18” on their final album. Styles didn’t write “Little Things,” but that’s exactly the sort of doe-eyed balladry we expect on his solo material. So what’s it gonna sound like? The safe, industry-tested route would be a collection of folksy, acoustic-based ballads, ones that allow for a little soul-searching, while reminding radio program directors of the Ed Sheeran and James Bay songs they’ve had success with lately.
Harry Styles Gets Birthday Love From His One Direction Bandmates So much hinges on how his first single fares. Granted, “Pillowtalk” topped the Hot 100, but the Styles persona could give his solo career an even higher ceiling. in the U.S.), his not-very-One Direction-sounding album sold considerably fewer copies - 112,000 - in its own debut week. Zayn veered away from this, and despite a fervent built-in fan base (which purchased 402,000 first-week copies of Made in the A.M. And guess what? From Up All Night to 2015’s Made in the A.M., One Direction basically morphed into a pop-leaning rock band, one whose tendency to build songs on guitar and keys was often overshadowed by the fact people insisted on the boy band tag. From his influences to his fashion to his onstage persona to his (formerly) flowing locks, Styles’ vibe has always screamed rock star, and despite the genre’s recent lack of presence on the Billboard Hot 100, he’s got the charisma to make it happen. We don’t know what sort of lyrical content Styles has cooked up, but we aren’t expecting him to follow Zayn down the alt-R&B path. But will Harry’s new material be as sharp a left turn from the old band as Zayn’s was? (He also chopped a lot of his hair off in May 2016, so there’s that.) Five albums, as many top 10 singles, near-constant touring - still, that didn’t stop Zayn from diving into solo work shortly after departing, and for Styles, it evidently hasn’t kept him out of the studio. Looking back, it’s hard to believe Styles’ band accomplished so much in barely half a decade. Harry Styles to Release a Single on April 7