Harry Styles Essentials

Gravity has never held back Harry Styles, who achieved teen superstardom in One Direction and then transitioned remarkably well into solo fame just a year after the London boy band parted ways. His 2017 solo debut “Sign of the Times” was a tender piano ballad that hinted at much grander sonic ambitions, thanks in part to producer Jeff Bhasker. The same year’s self-titled album tousled his squeaky-clean image nicely with the squalling, leather-jacketed blues of “Kiwi” and Beatles-esque psych-pop of “Carolina.” His second album, 2019’s Fine Line, took his razor-sharp songwriting and casual vocal conviction to imaginative new heights, yielding the dizzying romance of “Adore You” and sensory delights of “Watermelon Sugar.” Styles felt even more comfortably himself on 2022’s quaintly titled Harry’s House, adding some wryly meta third-person lyrics about himself amid the synth-pop effervescence of “As It Was” before nailing ticklish R&B on “Late Night Talking” and channeling Prince (not for the first time) on “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.” Through it all, he cherry-picks freely from the past while still feeling refreshingly modern in his production and aesthetic choices. Yet he’s never without sincere emotion: Styles may be a reborn sonic adventurer, but he still has a pop star’s beating heart.