By: Christine Granskog | 3 June, 2022
Harry’s House has taken over the streaming services and playlists created during the last week. I can’t begin to imagine the preparation, planning and work that went into Release Week by HSHQ. From Zane Lowe to One Night Only (ONO), the Harry Styles’ HQ (HSHQ) Instagram had caterpillar stories all week long.
Monday kicked off with Zane Lowe’s Apple 1 Radio Interview which was promptly added to Harry’s YouTube channel. We get a beautiful scene of Palm Springs with Harry basking in his post-Coachella glow, talking to our favorite Aussie journalist about everything from driving from Italy to England alone to the new album where he shares a sneak peek into his thought process behind some of the new songs. Even though there were moments I wanted to say, “Let him finish, Zane!” it was an insightful interview that made me even more anxious to hear the whole album.
(via @hshq on Instagram)
On Tuesday, HSHQ announced pop-up shops happening last weekend in all US and Canadian cities that will be hosting Harry Residency dates later this year as well as Amsterdam, Berlin, London and Paris. I thought about going to the Chicago one, but after seeing a TikTok of how long the line was I figured my legs and wallet would thank me later for staying home..
Wednesday, Harry went on the Howard Stern Show which included cringe-inducing questions that caused him to feel so uncomfortable so much that you can feel it through the screen. Those questions were prevalent but slightly fewer and farther between than last time. Harry has such a talent for going on long-winded tangents skirting around the posed questions. We did get insight into how John Mayer came to be on two of the new songs – Daydreaming and Cinema – while they were working across the hall from each other at a studio in L.A. Just the image of the two of them jamming to the Daylight chorus makes my heart soar.
An exciting part about Wednesday was that Harry’s lion ring found its way back to him. He shared that his lion ring had been found and returned to him by posting a picture of the ring saying “It Hath Returned” and a small “thank you” in the bottom right corner. The ring flew off his hand during his second Coachella night after spraying the audience with water. Everyone from fan Twitter accounts to Deuxmoi were trying to get the ring back to Harry’s team. It couldn’t have returned at a better time.
(via @harrystyles on Instagram)
Even Hoda Kotb brought up the ring during his Thursday appearance on the Today Show. He sat down for a quick interview with the news anchors and answered a few fan questions. Then, he played songs in the pouring rain for a packed plaza. It was oddly reminiscent of his performance on The Plaza in February 2020 where I stood in the audience wiping rain from my glasses and desperately trying to keep my hood over my head while jumping around to Watermelon Sugar.
Thursday night was the Harry’s House Spotify listening party where his top 150 listeners got a preview of five songs off the new album. At the end of the party, Harry himself showed up and surprised the audience with tickets to the One Night Only show at the UBS Arena happening the next evening.
Friday! The Big Day! It’s Here! The album released, the pop-ups opened and the lines continued to form outside the UBS Arena for pit entry. Aside from the catchy new TikTok sound bites and lyrical examinations, we got an additional content surprise from our resident TikTok Harry girl herself, Brittany Broski. It appeared to be a surprise for her too as she posted a TikTok of a DM she got from HSHQ asking if she was free for the day.
Brittany ended up taking over HSHQ on Instagram all day, giving us behind-the-scenes content of One Night Only. She lived out every fangirl’s dream from spending time backstage with the band to handing out tickets to people outside. Of course, her night wouldn’t be complete without meeting the man of the hour himself. We all melted inside when he hugged her a little tighter after she didn’t let go. *sigh*
Even though I couldn't be at ONO in New York, I watched the livestream and felt the energy of the crowd through my 12-inch screen. I live for the moments between songs, and Harry took full advantage of those pauses during this one. He painted us scenes of how many of the new ones came to be which allowed them to take on full new meanings in my brain. He and Kid Harpoon wrote Little Freak together inside a hotel room. Daydreaming started as a voice note from Tyler Johnson when he was in Palm Springs and made its way to the 101 in LA. He dedicated Love Of My Life to Rob Stringer, the CEO of his record label at Sony Music, telling us he recorded most of the album in Rob’s home. (Could be called Rob’s House instead of Harry’s House.) Getting a sneak peek into the workings of an album makes it so much more vibrant. He ended the show with a double-encore, coming out and playing As It Was for a second time.
(via @anthonypham on Instagram)
The interviews, the behind the scenes, the dancing and the music that were shared with the fans this week were beyond our wildest expectations. HSHQ keeps giving with the continued pop-up dates and the London One Night Only, BBC show and more interviews. Summer Harry is in full swing, and I expect the momentum to continue flowing throughout all our houses, not just Harry’s.
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