Harry Styles

First Album: Harry Styles

Latest Album: Fine Line

As someone who was only recently introduced to Harry Styles’ music, I actually listened to his latest album, Fine Line, before his first. As I backtracked and began listening to his first solo album, I immediately noticed a huge change between the two. Fine Line and Harry Styles had very distinguishable styles to them, and the content, though similar, came across drastically different.

Harry Styles was originally a part of the extremely popular boy band One Direction. He released his first solo album, simply titled Harry Styles, in 2017, two years after the band split. This album was drastically different from anything produced by the boy band, which can be seen in the maturity of the songs and their content combined with the soft-rock influence.

Fine Line was very highly anticipated due to the success of Styles’ first album, especially after the sneak peek releases of several songs on the album (including hot songs “Watermelon Sugar” and “Lights Up”). When the album was finally released at the very end of 2019, it certainly lived up to the hype. Fine Line is heavily influenced by Styles’ devastating breakup with his former girlfriend, french model Camille Rowe. Almost every song on the album is either a tribute to his heartbreak, or him longingly looking back to when they were together.

Although the albums differ, there seems to be a common theme: love (and/or a specific woman). There are many songs in both albums alluding to Style’s past relationships as well as infatuation with someone else. Both “Carolina” (from Harry Styles) and “She” (from Fine Line) refer to some mystery woman that just captures your attention; she’s special in a way that makes people obsessed. Similarly, Harry Styles’ “Woman” and Fine Line’s “Cherry” are similar in regards to the hint of jealousy and disappointment due to an ex finding someone new. Styles prefers to keep a timeless, vintage style in his music; music critics can see the similarities in certain songs to some famous rock artists such as David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and more. This can definitely be seen in both albums; however, the rock influence is definitely much more prominent in his first album. He even experiments with some hard rock with songs “Kiwi” and “Only Angel.” Styles’ second album, while still keeping his signature style, has more of a pop influence that fits in more with today’s music.

The biggest difference between the two albums is the consistency; Harry Styles, while still a masterpiece, is all over the place in terms of style, content, and just the overall vibe. As mentioned before, there are both soft and hard rock songs on the album, but there are still a few modern songs as well. As for content and meaning, there really isn't much of a recurring theme; there are songs about heartbreak, lust, apocalypse/death, and, of course, love. It is hard to put a finger on just what the overall album is trying to accomplish, so in my opinion, it just isn't. This was an experimental piece for Styles; he was fresh out of one of the most famous boy bands, and he was new to his solo career. He was just creating the music he wanted for the first time. This is where Harry Styles and Fine Line differ. Fine Line has a very distinct overall feel to it; although not all songs have a melancholy tune (though many do), in almost every song there is some feeling of despair and longing. Styles is much more confident in this piece, finding a way to incorporate his vintage style with modern day music. Although both albums are lyrically, musically, and aesthetically impressive, Styles’ maturity is showcased significantly more in Fine Line.

Khalid

First Album: American Teen

Latest Album: Free Spirit

Khalid was only nineteen years-old when he released his debut album American Teen in 2017. Two years later, at twenty-one, he released Free Spirit. The main difference you can see between the two albums is the maturity of his songs; he was younger than seventeen when writing some songs on American Teen, but he is now an adult capable of writing about more than parties and hanging out with friends.

American Teen is my favorite album of all time. The title is extremely fitting for the content of the album; every song truly encapsulates the experience of the average teenager in America. The songs are about living life while you’re young with your friends, as well as the ups and downs of teenage romance. One of the most relatable songs is also one of Khalid’s most popular songs. In “Location”, Khalid brings forth the struggles of trying to have a relationship in the social media age; he finds it hard to connect over the phone, and just wants to bond in person. This album was understandably popular with the young adult/teen crowd, as Khalid was also a teen at the time and wrote from experiences that many of us share.

Khalid released Free Spirit only a few years after American Teen. For anyone, growing from age seventeen to twenty-one causes a lot of maturation; you go through many life experiences that help you look at life in a different light. In this album, Khalid, like many other young adults, feels like he is running out of time to try and find himself. As adulthood quickly approaches, he is anxious to let go of his childhood and become who he is meant to be for good.

Although there is definitely a huge change between the two albums, it is necessary to point out the similarities first. Obviously, the vague theme of love and youth continues throughout both albums; both of these are things you must deal with in both your teens and early twenties. Also, both albums are very relatable to groups that are the same age as Khalid himself was when he wrote the songs. The most significant similarity between the two is that although Khalid grew up, he still kept the “chill” vibes he is famous for. The way I see it, both albums have songs that make you want to pile all of your friends into a car, roll all of the windows down, and turn the volume all the way up. American Teen, however, makes you want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs, inspiring excitement for our youth and everything we can do; Free Spirit makes you want to just listen, take in the lyrics, and appreciate life.

As a seventeen year old, he wanted to be young forever, stay in high school with his friends, party all the time, and just live. As a man in his twenties, he is all about finding his identity as his youth begins to fade. Where American Teen’s “8TEEN” says “let’s do all the stupif (stuff) that young kids do,” inspiring a feeling of youthful fun, Free Spirit’s “Alive” expresses that “life comes in phases/consequences and mistakes,” instilling a feeling of growth and experience. Both of these albums reflect the feelings that Khalid had at the time when he was writing these songs, and it is likely why his messages are so relatable; it’s personal, yet universal at the same time.