Music Rewind 2022: How Harry Styles Personified Love On Tour

Harry Styles took over 2022 like a glorious sunrise spreading rainbow light across the world. From growing his beauty brand Pleasing, to continuing his worldwide, high-demand Love On Tour, to making history at Coachella and starring in not one, but two feature films, Harry has further cemented his status as one of the most iconic artists of our generation. His heart for goodness, cheeky sense of humor, undeniably infectious stage presence that embodies human Pop Rocks, and his equal parts bright yet poignant music make him an icon living.

Pleasing

Harry launched his beauty brand Pleasing in November 2021, but it exploded in 2022. The brand first featured a line of nail polishes and soon expanded to include skincare, makeup, apparel, and accessories in 2022. In 2022, Pleasing collabed with one of Harry’s heroes, rock legend Mick Fleetwood. Plus, the brand even collaborated with fashion designer Marco Ribeiro, releasing a palette of pressed powder pigments, cream pigments, and new nail polish shades. At the time of Pleasing’s launch, Harry told Dazed, “It’s starting with nail polish because that was kind of the birth of what it was for. Me seeing a color on a flower or a wallpaper or something and thinking, ‘Oh, I wanna put that on my nails.’ It was a fun little project, but during the pandemic, and when we eventually named it Pleasing, it felt like it was so much more than nail polish.” And now it is so much more than nail polish, thanks to Harry expanding his original vision to more thoughtful, high-quality products.

‘As It Was’

The lead single from Harry’s third solo studio album, Harry’s House, quite literally took over the year with its release on April 1, 2022. Since then, it has gone viral on TikTok, won and been nominated for countless awards, charmed audiences with its enchanting music video, and broken streaming records. ‘As It Was’ became Harry’s second number one single in the U.S. and in the U.K., and spent a total of 15 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which is the longest run for a British artist. Overall, the song topped charts in 35 different countries. Plus, the song has become a fan-favorite as well as being critically acclaimed, making it a standout moment in Harry’s career that fans and future listeners will look back on forever. And we can’t let this moment pass without mentioning the absolute adorableness that was Ruby Winston’s opening! Iconic.

Coachella

Shania Twain and Lizzo! The sequined jumpsuit! The feather coat! The premiere of ‘Boyfriends’ and ‘Late Night Talking!!!’ Harry Styles’ 2022 Coachella performance was one that we will be ~late night talking~ about for years to come. He brought out Shania on his first weekend as a headliner and it was extra special as he said, “In the car with my mother as a child, this lady taught me to sing. She also told me that men are trash. To you, to the memories you gave me with my mother, I will be forever grateful. I’m so grateful you’re with us here tonight. This is very special for me.” Plus, seeing Lizzo and Harry reunite for a cover of ‘I Will Survive’ during weekend two was something we barely survived! 

Harry’s House

Harry’s House was written during a tumultuous 2020 and 2021 and released on May 20, 2022. It has since become one of the most successful albums of all time! It marks some of Harry’s most introspective, soul-baring work yet and showcases him exploring new genres and sounds all while keeping that same Harry sparkle that we know and loved on Harry Styles and Fine Line. The bangers and ballads on Harry’s House will always have a place in our playlists! From the legendary lead single ‘As It Was’ to the heart-wrenchingly gorgeous ‘Matilda’ to the rollicking, funky ‘Music for A Sushi Restaurant,’ the album captures love, life, and lessons learned during a time period on earth that was unlike any other.

Mercury Prize

Harry reached another huge milestone for British artists this year by being short-listed for the 2022 Mercury Prize. The award is given to the best album released by a British or Irish act in the U.K. and has been won by legends like PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys, and Arlo Parks. The prize is based on musical merit, meaning that even to music critics and industry experts, Harry’s House was truly a work of art. 

MTV VMAs

Despite the fact that Harry wasn’t able to attend this year’s MTV VMAs in person, his presence was still felt. He was nominated for six awards, including Video and Artist of the Year, Best Pop, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography, and Best Direction. While ‘As It Was’ didn’t snag any category awards, Harry’s House did come out on top for Album of the Year, and Harry sent in a video message from tour to thank all the Harries out there for voting and for loving the album. But ultimately, that just meant that Harries and Harry could celebrate the win IRL, which made it that much sweeter.

Don’t Worry Darling

This was the year of Actor-rry! Harry starred in his first lead role in a major motion picture in Don’t Worry Darling, the highly-anticipated psychological thriller that also starred Florence Pugh (who by the way, is just like us as a former Directioner!). Harry truly smashed his role as Jack, the husband of the main character Alice, and his dedication to the role seriously shined through the silver screen. Words can’t even explain how exhilarating it was to see Harry on the big screen! And, hello, that tap dancing scene?! Show-stopping.

My Policeman

But DWD wasn’t Harry’s only dip into the acting world this year! He took an emotional, beautiful turn as Tom in My Policeman, based on the book of the same title. The film follows the love triangle between three main characters, with the other two played by Emma Corrin and David Dawson. It was lovely to see the dynamics of the three lead actors on and off-screen, and Harry really nailed his role. He brought heart and charm to Tom in a quiet yet stunning film about sexuality, love, betrayal, and loss. 

Gucci HA HA HA

One thing about Harry Styles: he’s naturally gonna show up in style. And he only furthered his fashionista reputation by collaborating with Gucci on an exclusive line in November 2022! The line features sunglasses, jumpers, suitcases, and silk scarves. The creative director of Gucci, Alessandro Michele, said, “He keeps sketches and an archive; he could easily be a stylist or a designer and is very free, representative of this new generation that is interested in so many things.” As the king of all things sequins, feather boas, matching sets, and more, there’s no one we would trust more with our style than Harry Styles!

2023 GRAMMY Nominations

GRAMMY nominations for the 2023 show were announced in November this year, and it marked another amazing milestone for Harry! Because of Harry’s House, he was nominated in the biggest categories the award show has to offer for the first time ever. He’s up for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year, as well as Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video. The GRAMMYs will air live on Feb. 5, 2023, but no matter what happens, Harry being nominated for such big categories is iconic enough!

Love On Tour

And of course, Harry rounded out 2022 by continuing his global Love On Tour shows, including residencies in U.S. cities like Chicago and NYC. Despite all of his other ventures, it’s clear that on stage is where Harry Styles positively belongs. He’s an effervescent, captivating performer, and his sets punctuated by loving jokes between him and the Harries in the audience make his concerts beloved both IRL and online. Plus, he brought back Harryween, where he dressed as Danny Zuko from Grease and performed a magnetic, powerful cover of the late Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You.’

It’s obvious why Harry Styles is the head of a tour literally called “love.” He spreads it wherever he goes, whatever he does.

What’s been your proudest moment as a Harrie this year? Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting us @thehoneypop! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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