The China Mail - Harry Styles: from teen heart-throb to music icon

On Saturday, the British singer will open a new months-long tour with his first date in Amsterdam after launching his fourth album earlier this year.

"Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally" was released on March 6 and shot straight to the top of the charts in some 20 countries, including Britain, France and the United States.

It was a spectacular follow-up to "Harry's House", which was released in 2022 and won album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

Spotted at just 16 on The X Factor television talent show, Styles rose to global fame in the chart-topping band formed in 2010 alongside Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.

With their catchy pop-rock sound, One Direction, or 1D as they became known, sold nearly 70 million records before splitting up in 2016.

"He has never ever talked about his time in One Direction with any kind of derision," said Hannah Banks, a creative industries specialist at Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast.

"And I think that helps because all of One Direction fans -- which was a huge, huge amount of people -- came with him. He has just built upon that by doing slightly different music."

Styles quickly established his credentials as a solo artist.

His self-titled debut album in 2017 was followed in 2019 by "Fine Line", which included the smash hit "Watermelon Sugar" and brought huge commercial success.

In the intervening years he has attracted a growing, more diverse fanbase.

"He's gone from a highly managed and manufactured boy band member to a man who's doing his own thing," said Sophie Cridland, a 37-year-old teacher and fan, pointing to his shift toward pop and electronic influences.

His album "Harry's House" and his 2021 to 2023 "Love On Tour" sealed his transformation as someone who has "brought a bit of the flair back" to what some see as an increasingly bland male pop landscape.

He is set to play a record 12 shows at London's 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in June, followed by a 30-date residency at New York's Madison Square Garden from late August. The tour wraps up in December in Sydney.

- Pushing boundaries -

He has also turned himself into a style icon.

In 2020, Styles became the first man to appear solo on the cover pages of US Vogue, wearing a Gucci lace dress in one shot and a crinoline skirt by gender-fluid designer Harris Reed in another.

From sequined jumpsuits to flamboyant feather boas, skirts and pearl necklaces, his outfits recall stars such as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, "who were also famous for pushing gender boundaries", said Banks.

For fashion designer Nik Shimmin, Styles is "a breath of fresh air" who embodies "a version of modern-day masculinity that a lot of people want to see".

Styles has consistently declined to label his sexuality, which has sparked some accusations of "queerbaiting" -- adopting queer aesthetics without clearly identifying with the LGBTQ community.

Publicly, he has only confirmed relationships with women.

According to the tabloid press, he became engaged in April to US actress Zoe Kravitz.

He has previously dated film director Olivia Wilde, as well as American superstar Taylor Swift and reality television personality Kendall Jenner.

- 'Having fun' -

Although discreet about his private life, Styles has grown more outspoken politically.

He has encouraged young Americans to register to vote and raised funds for LGBTQ causes, said Louie Valencia, a humanities professor at Texas State University.

"He really is trying to do something that brings hope to people in a world that's very sceptical of these kinds of concepts like treating people with kindness," said Valencia.

He is teaching a course in Oxford this summer -- "Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity".

Styles told the Times earlier this year he was excited about the upcoming tour.

"When I listen back to the album, I can hear that I was having fun during this time. It's fulfilling to make something you're proud of," he said.

H.Au--ThChM