<\/p>\n
Harry Styles is back with his much-anticipated fourth album <\/span>Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally<\/span><\/a> (Columbia) \u2013\u00a0and now we await the opening week result.<\/span><\/p>\n Ahead of the release, Styles gave his first TV performance of No.1 single Aperture at the <\/span>opening of the BRIT Awards<\/span><\/a>. He will perform the album at Co-op Live on release day (March 6) for a Netflix special on March 8 \u2013 his first live concert to appear on any streaming platform.<\/span><\/p>\n Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally is one of several <\/span>big releases in the Q1 period<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The initial hurdle is for Styles to become the first artist this year to register more than 100,000 units in the opening week. He is almost certain to achieve a six-figure result following the <\/span>113,812 sales for 2022\u2019s Harry\u2019s House on debut<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Aperture debuted at No.1 with a big opening week amid high expectations for the new album \u2013\u00a0and the reviews are now in including <\/span>Music Week<\/em>\u2019s verdict<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA new Harry Styles album absolutely helps bring new customers into our stores,\u201d said <\/span>Rough Trade MD Lawrence Montgomery<\/span><\/a>, who confirmed that it is the retailer\u2019s best-selling online pre-order this year.<\/span><\/p>\n He noted that Styles\u2019 previous releases have \u201cperformed consistently well for us\u201d and sit within a growing modern pop catalogue category on <\/span>vinyl<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n A new Harry Styles album absolutely helps bring new customers into our stores<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Lawrence Montgomery<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Rough Trade hosted early morning listening parties for Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally across its branches on release day (March 6).<\/span><\/p>\n Rough Trade previously launched in-store activations for Styles\u2019 single <\/span>Aperture<\/span><\/a> in New York and Berlin, while ERA member Phonica in London\u2019s Soho partnered with the label on an exclusive fan listening party ahead of the release.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that he held it at a store renowned for its vinyl selection gives a clue to where this is going,\u201d said <\/span>Kim Bayley, CEO of ERA<\/span><\/a> (the digital and entertainment retail association). \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s too rash to say Harry\u2019s new album will be one of the biggest vinyl sellers of the year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Within its first week sales total of 113,812, Harry\u2019s House opened with 45,388 sales-equivalent streams (Official Charts Company) \u2013 one of the biggest results of the 2020s and higher than Adele\u2019s 30. Now expectations are high at DSPs for the follow-up.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always such a moment when an icon like Harry Styles drops new music, especially after a couple of years away,\u201d said <\/span>Chris Helsen, head of programming at Amazon Music UK<\/span><\/a>. \u201c[Aperture] was an instant hit on release, shooting straight to the top of our Trending Today chart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Amid the excitement around Styles\u2019 return, the track was also on top of <\/span>Amazon Music<\/span><\/a>\u2019s Hits UK playlist, as well as the cover of the global Pop Culture playlist.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Helsen said streams of Harry\u2019s House have \u201cincreased significantly\u201d as the platform promotes the catalogue.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHarry\u2019s one of those artists that stands apart in terms of his appeal \u2013 as well as releasing some of the biggest pop songs on the service in the last decade, his solo career has really showcased his artistry as well, which has given him a really broad audience,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s reflected in the numbers: streams of <\/span>Harry\u2019s House<\/span><\/a> have significantly increased since the new album was announced, as well as overall Harry Styles streams including Aperture. We\u2019ve been showcasing our [Re]Discover Harry Styles playlist to help fans old and new prepare for the new music by re-discovering his best tracks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Deezer<\/span><\/a> has also given strong support including the cover of its Nouveaut\u00e9s Du Vendredi new music playlist in France, the platform\u2019s key market. Styles was also featured across Deezer\u2019s Future Hits and Brand New UK.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe reaction has been positive, particularly given that this return takes a freer and more daring artistic direction than some listeners may have expected after As It Was,\u201d said <\/span>Azzedine Fall, Deezer\u2019s director of music & culture<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think it\u2019s too rash to say Harry\u2019s new album will be one of the biggest vinyl sellers of the year<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Kim Bayley<\/p>\n
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Fall suggested that this campaign will lead to a global conversation about the artistic evolution of Styles\u2019 pop career.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHarry\u2019s House marked a clear turning point in his career,\u201d he told Music Week<\/em>. \u201cIt is the album that fully established him as a solo artist and definitively opened a new chapter in his trajectory worldwide. What\u2019s interesting is that this new return is already sparking debate and anticipation within his fandom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He added: \u201cHow do we position this new track \u2013 somewhere between pop and electronic? How do we assess the artistic ambition of a global pop star after delivering such a massive hit? These are important questions, not only for Harry Styles but also for artists like <\/span>Rosal\u00eda<\/span><\/a> in recent months. The approaches are different, but the underlying reflection is the same: how do artists navigate the post-hit, post-virality moment?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn that sense, Harry Styles\u2019 return fits into a broader conversation about the evolution of global pop careers and how audiences respond to artistic risk. As the manager of Deezer\u2019s editorial team, I tend to believe we need to draw inspiration from this kind of artistic risk in the way we recommend music \u2013 moving towards bolder choices and away from overly clustered, predictable curation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Looking at the potential new audience for Styles on this campaign, Fall said: \u201cWill fans of LCD Soundsystem or of <\/span>Tame Impala<\/span><\/a>\u2019s latest album connect with Harry Styles\u2019 single? That answer ultimately belongs to the users. But it is very much our role to create and encourage those connections, to provoke collisions and crossovers that may not feel obvious at first glance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBased on Aperture, expectations are sky high for the album, and I can\u2019t wait to hear what else he\u2019s got in store on the record,\u201d said Amazon Music UK\u2019s Chris Helsen. \u201cYou can always expect to be surprised with what Harry releases, in a great way! He\u2019s also\u00a0<\/span>the type of artist that gets more people listening to more music, motivating them to open their app.\u201d<\/p>\n