Harry Styles has never really been on my list of people I thought would make me really think.
More often than I care to admit, I’ve found myself over-enthusiastically singing along to one of his tracks, ignoring the fact I have accumulated extensive knowledge of his lyrics without daring to consider how or why.
But when it comes to his ideas? Well, he just wasn’t lurking anywhere near my radar.
As I’m sure you’re quite aware, this week Harry Styles was interviewed by Rolling Stone as part of the press tour for his first ever solo single, ‘Sign of the Times’. And from a PR perspective, he did wonders. Styles was well-spoken and, as far as the eye can read, genuine. He covered his relationship with Taylor Swift, the wonderfully thoughtful meaning behind his new single (a complication during childbirth) and most remarkably, his relationship with young fans.
When asked whether he felt pressure to cater his solo career to an older, more adult crowd, he replied with his:
“Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music – short for popular, right? – have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy? That’s not up to you to say. Music is something that’s always changing. There’s no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles.
“You gonna tell me they’re not serious? How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick,” he told the music magazine.
Before long, those words spread far and wide across the internet. Not only had Styles given the ultimate nod of respect to his largely female fan base – a feat not many others of his calibre can boast doing – it was also a point many hadn’t considered.