Harry Styles fans, assemble, because it looks like his comeback could be imminent.
Over the weekend, the As It Was hitmaker dropped a surprise music video, breaking his 889-day hiatus (not that we’re counting).
The Grammy-winning pop star, 31, has been radio silent for over two years, having dipped out of the spotlight after wrapping up his Love On Tour shows on July 22, 2023.
Harry remained further away from public life following the devastating death of One Direction bandmate Liam Payne last October, after which he attended his funeral and shared a gut-wrenching tribute on social media.
The last time he released music was his hugely successful third solo album, Harry’s House, which featured singles such as Late Night Talking and broke records.
But now fans think a fourth album could be on its way, having been caught off guard by a cryptic YouTube video shared on December 27.
On hand to relieve all our Twixmas blues, an eight-and-a-half-minute film titled Forever, Forever landed last night, documenting Harry’s final tour show in Italy.
The video opens with fans speaking Italian and gathering ahead of the concert, which marked the 173rd date in his sold-out world tour.
Professing their love for the singer, fans speculated over what his outfit could be for the last show, braided one another’s hair, exchanged friendship bracelets, and expressed their sadness that the tour was ending.
Clad in a sparkly silver two-piece, Harry is then shown taking to the stage, sitting at the piano, and telling the adoring crowd, ‘I wrote this for you’ in Italian.
He proceeded to wow the stadium with his composition; not a scream or cheer heard for the entire time, as thousands were captivated by what they were witnessing.
It was a piece of original music that fans have been speculating about for the last two years, believing it could be part of some unreleased material.
And rumours are rife once more that it represents something huge, as, at the end of the short film, the message ‘WE BELONG TOGETHER’ was emblazoned across the screen.
Following its premiere, the video has been viewed over two million times, while the likes of X are ablaze with theories.
So, what does it all mean?
‘he’s saying “we belong together” with a video of him performing for fans because he’s going to be releasing more music so he can tour for the fans because he belongs with fans, together, forever, forever’, wrote @endthedaydream on X.
‘next tour is named forever… or next album… or both…’, speculated @babybunnyrry.
@kaiamal13 added: ‘i think harry’s sharing his last performance of the previous era to end it and new stuff will be dropping probably in january’.
‘the concept of harry coming back next month w his first single called “we belong together”,’ said @jules_dancer28.
Others are pondering whether Harry could be dropping a tour documentary, while many are hopeful that a New Year’s Day single could be a possibility.
‘i fear a lot of people in my life rn haven’t known me at a time in history when harry styles has been active and they’re about to meet an entirely different side of me’, joked @scardofmyguitar.
@babyhcney wrote: ‘i literally forgot what a harry styles release felt like and now idk how to act’.
Since Love On Tour – which grossed a staggering $617.3million (£457.3m) and sold five million tickets – concluded in Reggio Emilia, Harry has made headlines with his various extracurricular activities.
Most notably, the performer has become somewhat of a marathon fiend, having run in Tokyo and Berlin with very impressive times, finishing the latter in under three hours.
He was also spotted in Rome this May, gathering at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City for the new Pope’s announcement, which, quite rightly, baffled everyone.
Although Harry’s love for Italy is well documented, as he’s been spotted there on numerous occasions in between tour shows over the years, most recently with Zoe Kravitz by his side after striking up a romance in summer.
Following his split from Canadian actress Taylor Russell, 31, Harry began dating actress and singer Zoe, 37, with reports claiming they also spent Christmas together this year after becoming well acquainted with one another’s families.
Speaking about how things have become more ‘serious’ between them, a source claimed recently that Harry and Zoe are ‘barely apart’.
They told The Sun: ‘Harry and Zoe have a real connection — this is love. It’s a real honeymoon period, and they’re barely apart.
‘Zoe has to get back to work on a film, so she’s coming to the UK and will be staying with Harry while she’s here.
‘They’ve had an amazing summer together, and things are only getting more serious between them.’
Perhaps we’ll catch Zoe in the crowd at one of Harry’s next shows when he does officially announce his return?
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