Listen, I'm as thrilled as the rest of you that Harry Styles has given us all something to play on repeat for the rest of the weekend. But, if anything, it's only whet my appetite for what's to come. When is Harry Styles releasing his solo album? No official date has been set, but, according to speculation, it could be as soon as late April or early May. Personally, I'm leaning toward the early May side of things, for reasons I'll get into below.
In February 2017, Sony Music CEO Rob Stringer spoke to Billboard about Styles' debut album, saying:
We’re close and we’re very excited. We have a record we’re incredibly excited about and it’s not far away from being ready.
He wouldn't go as far as to name a date, however. According to him, the label wants to make sure the album was perfect, since they see Styles as an artist with some real staying power. Over at BBC Radio 1, they stoked excitement even further on Friday morning during the release of "Sign of the Times" by suggesting that the album is due "very soon," potentially in "late April/early May."
Take that with a grain of salt, of course, as it came from a radio station and not one of Harry Styles' people. However, the early May date does sound good to me when I look at Styles' next few months.
What I'm referring to specifically is the Christopher Nolan movie Dunkirk, which comes out on Jul. 21 and features Styles as a character named Alex. It's his first foray into film, and, while I don't think that Styles would have been cast if he didn't have the acting chops, releasing an album a few months before Dunkirk's premiere would be a way to bring attention to both projects at the same time.
An early May release would be close enough to the film's release date to build up buzz, but not so late that it would overlap and distract. Along the same lines, it would also give fans a full month with "Sign of the Times," to listen to the single on repeat and build up anticipation for the full album. From where I stand, the best-looking release date is May 5 or May 12, so keep your eyes peeled. And prepare to send me a congratulatory fruit basket if I'm right.
