Harry Styles’ new song, “As It Was,” has many fans raving about his music once again after its release on March 31. Styles, as many know, began with the band One Direction back in 2010. Each of the men in One Direction had originally auditioned individually on the aspiring singers talent show, X Factor, but then were advised to combine their talents, and begin the beloved boy band, One Direction.

The band was composed of five members: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne. They released several huge songs and are and were extremely popular.

These songs include “What Makes You Beautiful,” as well as “Story of My Life” were huge hits for the band, both songs reached number one on charts upon their release, and the group of boys were set off well from the beginning of their careers. However, to some disappointment to their fans, the band went on hiatus back in 2016 because each of the members wanted to pursue his own solo career.

While the loved band will continue to be missed, this began Styles’ spectacular solo career. Styles did not wait around, and signed with Columbia Records in early 2017. His first released song, “Sign of the Times” was released the same month he was signed, and it jump started his solo fanbase. Upon release, the song reached #3 on Billboard top 100 and #10 on the UKs singles chart.

He released 10 other songs on his EP Harry Styles, including “Kiwi.” Despite the cute, fruit filled title, this song of rock pop fuels swooning fans of Styles. Then in 2019, Styles released his first studio album Fine Line. The public boomed with acceptance for the album. One of the tracks on Fine Line is “Watermelon Sugar.” This song by far is Styles’ top song and it reassured Styles on the public’s love for the album by being his first #1 on Billboard charts and reached top 10 in over 20 countries. This album hooked more fans into Styles’ fanbase. Kat Lansky, a junior at Milford, expressed her love for Styles, “I love Harry Styles. He’s such a big part of pop culture at the moment and his music is always top of the charts!¨

Now, after waiting for the singer to release more music and speculation of a new album, speculations are confirmed. Styles’ second studio album, Harry’s House was released May 20. The public was given one of the thirteen tracks, “As it Was,” prior to the full album release. The single immediately soared to another #1 on the Billboard charts for Styles, signaling success for the rest of the album.

The positive reception for “As it Was” goes beyond the charts. Grace Cox and Sophia Jobe, two juniors at Milford, went to one of Styles’ shows back in September while he was on his world tour and are dedicated to supporting him. “‘As it Was’ was such a groundbreaking song for Harry and all of his fans, I think that the meaning of the song itself is so personal and having him share that part of his life with us was so awesome as a fan myself,” Cox said. “As it Was” features a unique twist of more rock indie compared to his pop rock normality to his music, leaving listeners with a sweet residue in their mouths.

Many fans are overjoyed with the different take Styles took with this song, and are thrilled with the album’s collection of tracks that breeze together with the soft tones through the songs. Jobe commented her positive remarks on the album. “ I think Harry’s new album… has a range of genres and is paving the way of new things we might see for him,” and she emphasized “It’s the summer love album!” she stated. As the stress of the school year ends, many students are listening to Styles to relax. Junior Anna Ivezaj summed it up well and said, “Money can’t buy happiness, but Harry Styles can!”