Harry Styles

Even as gender and masculinity are more fluid than ever, it can still rankle when male stars co-opt traditionally gay codes and styles.

Queer, in this era, means what you say it means: It can mean “I haven’t, but I’d try it” or “I don’t see myself as traditionally heterosexual” or “I don’t want anybody to think I lack imagination” or “My sense of my own sexual identity or tastes is that they’re out of the mainstream” or “I would, but only with Harry Styles” or “I don’t know yet.” “Queer” is one-size-fits-all; there is no entrance requirement. [tweet](https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/omar-apollo-shuts-down-queerbaiting-rumors-nsfw-tweet-1235178135/), he refuted the charge explicitly (in both senses of the word) with a concise reply saying, “No I b [participating in a common consensual same-sex activity described in two words that this publication would be perfectly OK with you Googling] fr [for real].” It’s great when it’s that easy. “Queer” is used by some gay men interchangeably with “gay,” and you can just as easily identify as queer and lesbian, queer and bisexual, queer and trans. The first is “Straight; heterosexual and cisgender; a Kinsey zero.” The second is “Anything other than that.” “Queer” has come to stand in for option number two, and it has created a tent so big that some of the people inside it aren’t completely comfortable with the company they’re keeping. (And what someone deciding whether to hire an actor is entitled to ask about that actor’s sexuality is, for very good reasons, also nothing.) The price of a ticket entitles you only to good work — if you’re lucky; it doesn’t buy you the promise that you’re going to be witnessing embodied personal history. The idea that homosexuality can be teased in flourishes and gestures recalls a much more repressive era (five decades ago) in which gay performers like Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly couldn’t do more than occasionally throw a plausibly deniable smirk to their “if you know, you know” gay fan base if they wanted to remain employable. And what about his role in last year’s period drama “ [My Policeman](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/movies/my-policeman-review.html)” as a gay British cop in the 1950s prevented from living his truth by a stultifying and bigoted world? And at least one version of Styles is very [maybe-something-else](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/arts/music/pop-men-harry-styles-jack-harlow-bad-bunny.html): the one posing in a dress on the cover of a women’s fashion magazine. And in truth, “L.G.B.T.” has always been an imperfect portmanteau, since its first three letters are shorthand for “Who I’m attracted to” and its fourth is a shorthand for “Who I am.” Today, for many very young people eager to discover and announce their identities long before they’ve had any sexual experience with another person, the designation they select is much likelier to connote “This is me” than “This is what I do.” And the idea here is laudable: Nobody should have to go through life, especially adolescent life, experiencing the loneliness that comes with feeling that there’s not even a word with which they can describe themselves. A quick primer, for those of you who, like me, are over a certain age and may be more familiar with the term “gay baiting”: This is one of those squirmy evolving-language things in which, faster than you might ever imagine, a phrase comes to mean almost exactly the opposite of what it once meant. How many of you know what that label cost people to obtain?” Not that the label itself carries much weight with Zoomers; the term “L.G.B.T.,” first coined more than 30 years ago, is now seen by many young people as a relic, little more than a makeshift beta test undertaken by their parents’ generation. Right now, the most charged queer-baiting discussion is about men — not a surprise, since any trace of sexual ambiguity in a male star has always excited an intense degree of interest, suspicion and paranoia about the perceived undermining of masculinity.

Not only did the singer take home two Grammy Awards on Sunday evening, but he also served up some of the ceremony's most talked-about outfits.

Taking the stage to scoop up the coveted Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for "Harry's House," he looked dapper in a cropped white suit jacket and wide-legged tan-colored pants. Others dubbed the look an example of "clowncore," while the singer also drew comparisons — both favorable and disparaging — to two of Britain's most flamboyant pop icons: Elton John and David Bowie. The former One Direction star began the night in a plunging technicolor jumpsuit that revealed a collection of butterfly and bird tattoos on his otherwise bare chest.

Harry Styles was one of the big winners at this years award ceremony at the crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). He also bagged awards for [Best Pop Vocal Album](/topic/best-pop-vocal-album)and [Best Engineered Album](/topic/best-engineered-album), [Non-Classical](/topic/non-classical). Harry Styles said that on nights like the Grammy awards night, it is obviously important for them to remember that “there’s no such thing as best in music”. He was one of the biggest winners at this year’s event which took place in [Los Angeles](/topic/los-angeles). Apart from winning three awards, Styles also performed his hit single ‘Ás It Was’ on the Grammys stage. [Harry Styles](/topic/harry-styles)for the night mounted to three.

British star Harry Styles has won the biggest award at this year's Grammys, the prize for best album. Styles won the Album of the Year for his work Harry's ...

Adele and Beyoncé were considered frontrunners in the category, with the “Break My Soul” singer becoming the most decorated artist in the history of the Grammys following the success of her disco and house-influenced album Renaissance. Meanwhile, the “Easy On Me” hitmaker was nominated for her record-smashing fourth album, 30. British star Harry Styles has won the biggest award at this year’s Grammys, the prize for best album.

'Harry Styles needs to send Kendrick and Beyoncé a 9000 word apology text and get it tattooed all over his body,' wrote one fan on Twitter.

[ #AOTY](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AOTY?src=hashtag_click)" over Beyoncé fans keep that same energy and keep yo a*s off Ticketmaster when these [ #RENAISSANCEWorldTour](https://twitter.com/hashtag/RENAISSANCEWorldTour?src=hashtag_click) tickets drop cuz the math ain’t mathin!” wrote one viewer on Twitter. [ #GRAMMYs](https://twitter.com/hashtag/GRAMMYs?src=hashtag_click),” they added. [ @Beyonce](https://twitter.com/Beyonce) all day, every day. Renaissance was once again a testament to Beyoncé’s…EVERYTHING and the academy loves to mess with her.” [ for me](https://twitter.com/hashtag/forme?src=hashtag_click):” began one fan on social media. [Grammys](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/grammys) was held on Sunday 5 February at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, with [Taylor Swift](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/taylor-swift), [Adele](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/adele) and Styles among the stars in attendance.

What did Harry Styles mean when he said "people like me" at the Grammys acceptance speech? People are taking issue with the comment.

I feel like when you look, when I look at this category, it’s all people who have inspired me at different times. Online commenters zeroed in on Styles' mention of “people like (him),” suggesting that he was not acknowledging his privilege as a white man with that line. “I don’t think you can look at any of the nominees and not feel like they’re deserving. The article argues that the U.K.’s entertainment system is more entrenched in nepotism than the U.S.’s due to class privilege. In a 2017 profile for Meanwhile, a Black woman hasn’t won in the category since Lauryn Hill in 1999. “This is so, so nice. “This is so, so kind. “To a UK ear, when Harry Styles says ‘things like this don’t happen to people like me’ — this is what he means,” she Clearly, confusion about what Styles really meant, as this tweet points out: “can harry styles elaborate what he means by “this doesn’t happen to people like me very often” like cough it up, what do you MEAN?” another person “Harry styles said ‘this doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ and I gotta be honest I can’t think of a type of people this happens for more,” another person [ tweeted](https://twitter.com/jazz_inmypants/status/1622458638878101505).

Taylor Swift and Harry Styles dated in 2012 and reunited at the 2023 Grammys. Here's what that viral fist bump and their body language mean, per an expert.

"If you look closely, he turns his body even more towards [Taylor](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a42096992/taylor-swift-youre-so-vain-carly-simon-best-breakup-song/)." [convo](https://www.instagram.com/p/CoU-txsp9kB)... [Harry](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a35695560/olivia-wilde-harry-styles-zodiac-sign-astrology-compatibility/) is smiling and staring into Taylor's face with a soft look on his face. [inspiration](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a35354813/vision-board-quotes/) for several [songs](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a40361111/sad-songs-playlist/) on [her](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a41966865/taylor-swift-legs-butt-bodysuit-chainmail-dress-emas-photos/) 2014 album, [1989](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MRHANNI). Clearly, this man is not backing away from [eye contact](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/g27078556/beyonce-jay-z-body-language-relationship/) with his former lover, and I am here. To find out ~exactly~ what these intimate interactions at the [Grammys](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a39630062/olivia-rodrigo-grammys-2022-hair/) really mean, WH tapped [body language](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/g40810182/chris-rock-lake-bell-body-language-analysis/) expert Karen Donaldson to analyze exactly how these former flames really feel about one another in 2023. In fact, in addition to their viral fist bump, [Taylor](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a41725102/taylor-swift-engaged/) was also one of the only people on her feet dancing to Harry's “As It Was" performance that night. When she’s not writing about all things pop culture, health, beauty, and fashion, she loves hitting leg day at the gym, shopping at Trader Joe’s, and watching whichever hockey game is on TV. After all, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) hasn't been released yet. And no one can forget the time [Taylor](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a41738613/taylor-swift-anti-hero-midnights-easter-eggs/) accepted her award for “I Knew You Were Trouble” at the [2013 VMAs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfEFSX8kePI) and thanked “ [the person who inspired this song, who knows exactly who he is](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2402016/MTV-VMAs-2013-Taylor-Swift-takes-dig-Harry-Styles-wins-mouths-shut-f--gets-stage.html)." “ [Out of the Woods](https://music.amazon.com/albums/B072MPCK25?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_Z4piIwRS3bDGZFmgFkTHFx3wq&trackAsin=B072185VM6),” “ [All You Had to Do Was Stay](https://music.amazon.com/albums/B072MPCK25?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_zRIZHtj9bcQi3PM3KuMJ573FO&trackAsin=B072K3FRJX),” and, obviously, “ [Style](https://music.amazon.com/albums/B072MPCK25?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_wFcH306ZDXN4d5ejXRLmToBKl&trackAsin=B071JW3Q8V).” Read the lyrics and you'll know what I'm talking about. Seriously, their little chit-chat and iconic fist-bump moment (which was caught by a sneaky photographer) have already gone viral in a major way.

Beyoncé lost Album of the Year for Renaissance at the Grammys, for a fourth time, to Harry Styles's album Harry's House. Why did Harry Styles win the top ...

In [the new Songwriter of the Year award](https://www.vulture.com/2022/11/songwriter-of-the-year-grammy-why-it-matters.html), two of the five nominees had cuts on Styles’s album, including the eventual winner, Tobias Jesso Jr. (It’s a little surprising “As It Was” didn’t earn any hardware, but the wins for Harry’s House seem to be recognition of the album as a body of hits.) After the Academy was criticized for giving Jon Batiste’s We Are, an album without a single top-40 hit, AOTY last year, Styles’s project gave them the opportunity to be on the pulse, at no expense of its perspective. [Shania Twain](https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/harry-styles-late-night-talking-boyfriends-shania-twain-coachella.html)) and present ( [Lizzo](https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/harry-styles-lizzo-i-will-survive-coachella-surprise-guest.html)). As it faded out, Styles and his team teed up hits-in-waiting “Late Night Talking” and “Music for A Sushi Restaurant,” both of which hit the top ten. Styles had a hold on the charts as well, with “As It Was” logging a record five separate runs atop the Hot 100, from its No. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, or Lizzo stole votes from her, why didn’t the same happen to Styles with ABBA, Adele, or Coldplay?) It also feels beside the point to argue whether Styles deserved AOTY over Beyoncé — [we’ve done that with her past two snubs for Beyoncé and Lemonade](https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/what-more-does-beyonc-have-to-do-to-win-album-of-the-year.html), and the answer remains a resounding yes. Beyoncé, on the other hand, added a fourth snub for the top honor to her career, this time for [Renaissance](https://www.vulture.com/2022/08/beyonce-renaissance-review.html), a spectacular, holistic project celebrating Blackness and queerness that [many critics](https://www.vulture.com/article/best-albums-2022.html) had already declared the record of 2022. Then when the record came out in May — logging over a half-million units, the second biggest week of the year behind Taylor Swift’s debut for Midnights — Styles hit the road. [took Best New Artist](https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/grammys-2023-samara-joy-best-new-artist.html) (the second jazz BNA win in less than 15 years, if you can believe it). [On Sunday evening](https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/grammys-2023-recap-best-worst-performances-winners.html), it was a different British pop star who stood between her and her first Grammy for Album of the Year: Harry Styles. Anyone other than Bey winning would’ve been met with some level of vitriol — especially after the Grammys spent the entire night hyping AOTY, and especially after [she became ](https://www.vulture.com/2023/02/beyonce-most-grammy-awards-history.html)the winningest artist in the Recording Academy’s history earlier in the ceremony. Styles won on his first AOTY nomination, for his third (solo) album [Harry’s House](https://www.vulture.com/2022/05/harry-styles-harrys-house-album-review.html), a pleasant but too-comfortable set of songs influenced by ‘80s synthpop and classic rock.

Harry Styles' backup dancers reveal that their Grammys performance did not go as they had rehearsed it because of on-stage technical problems.

“To switch all of those patterns around on the spot [without] having even walked in that direction?… “12 of us were on the turntable and we rehearsed for 10 days getting down these beautiful formations and sliding off the turntable… The dance number, reminiscent of the song’s official music video, saw Styles and the dancers deliver elaborate moves atop a revolving turntable.

Harry Styles' dancers during the 2023 Grammy Awards revealed that while on live TV the set turntable began to spin in the wrong direction.

We get on stage for the performance, the performance starts and the turntable starts going the wrong way.” According to another dancer, Dexter, Harry and his team practiced the choreography for 10 days leading up to the Grammys. “We rehearsed for 10 days getting down these beautiful formations and sliding off the table in a roll-off and just making this incredible, morphing, cool artistic shit and Harry did such a good job integrating into it,” Dexter shared in a TikTok video. In real time, we had to troubleshoot and try to do a complete piece in reverse. Freaking all of us out on live television, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. Harry Styles Grammys Dancers Say Set Malfunction Forced Them to ‘Reverse’ Performance Live

She famously hit out at the Grammys decision to award her Album Of The Year for 25 instead of Beyonce's Lemonade in 2017.

Saturday Night’ Original Cast - Mr. Saturday Night Blige - Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe). Wet Leg - Wet Leg Wet Leg - Wet Leg - WINNER Thank you so much. Diplo - Diplo And this is so, so nice. I'm so, so grateful. Is this when Lizzo was laughing and Adele was leaving?'; 'Adele leaving during Harry Styles little speech and Lizzo understanding why has me weak. Lizzo and Adele are very good friends with Harry.

Harry Styles and his dancers discover on live TV that the stage didn't just go in one direction.

"But it's important for us to remember that there's no such thing as the best in music. "So, to switch all those patterns on the spot, having not even walked in that direction... "This whole time we're practicing with the turntable counter-clockwise. "There was nothing we could do to stop it. But when the turntable started turning the wrong way on the night, Da Rocha said the dancers tried to "get the attention of the technician", but it was live TV and they "couldn't yell" so the technician didn't hear them. "The moment the curtain opened and it was time to perform, our turntable started spinning in reverse, backward,"

The 29-year-old singer picked up the award for his third solo album, Harry's House, beating Beyoncé, who had been a frontrunner with her album, Renaissance.

Saturday Night’ Original Cast - Mr. Blige - Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe). Saturday Night ''This doesn't happen to people like me often' - @Harry_Styles. Thank you so much.' Thank you so much. Social change is enacted when a society mobilizes.' got up on stage at the biggest award show in the world and said 'this doesn't happen to people like me'. A white man won in 2015.'; 'harry styles saying 'this doesn't happen to people like me very often' as a white, british man who has a history of dating only the most categorically stunning women in hollywood and whose biggest act of rebellion is wearing sequins and nail polish is extremely rich'; Every single year…'; 'BEGGING Harry Styles to stop saying 'people like me' when he wins something. 'did harry styles just say 'this doesn't happen to people like me very often' when winning album of the year.. i need you to be so fcking fr it only ever happens to 'people like you''

The British singer-songwriter took home the award for his third solo album, 'Harry's House', and rattled people with his acceptance speech.

The last Black person to win the award was Jon Batiste, last year for his album We Are. The entire membership is allowed to vote in the big four categories – best new artist, record, song and album of the year. Most significantly, Beyoncé has lost album of the year four times to Taylor Swift, Beck, Adele and now Styles. Numerous artists have criticised how the Grammys nominate artists. According to Billboard, the Recording Academy boasts more than 12,000 voting members. A night in music brimming with shocking upsets, historic wins, tributes for artists like the late rapper Takeoff and hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, the 65th Grammys were back in full swing Sunday. They’re called the Beyhive, after all. Others, however, see the remark as an example of white privilege. “Why does that feel like not enough,” Richards asked. He placed third with the boy band One Direction. And this is so, so nice. Styles hasn’t said what he meant by his words.

And yet the 29-year-old pop star has been widely accused of claiming to be a member of an underclass during the Grammy awards on Sunday night. “This doesn't ...

[queerbaiting](https://theweek.com/briefing/1016362/is-harry-styles-queerbaiting)”, or pretending to be LGBTQ+ in order to get attention ( [a debate that has resurfaced](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/t-magazine/queer-baiting-harry-styles-bad-bunny.html) since the Grammys controversy). That he once had a part-time job in a bakery and went to a state school ( [a very good one!)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmes_Chapel_Comprehensive_School) hardly makes him working class. Let the man wear his [“clowncore” jumpsuits](https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/harry-styles-grammys-red-carpet/index.html) in peace. [on this point](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/dec/10/huge-decline-working-class-people-arts-reflects-society), but it’s hard to see how Styles figures in that conversation. Cue [confusion and uproar](https://www.today.com/popculture/awards/harry-styles-people-like-me-grammys-acceptance-speech-backlash-rcna69332) as people pointed out that white men win awards rather often. There is certainly a lot to be said

Harry Styles' Grammys acceptance speech has received backlash after saying that the achievement "doesn't happen to people like me very often".

i love you harry but that was NOT IT. the Grammys are defo rigged Im sorry but Harry styles did not deserve that grammy over the others plus wtf was his speech? “I love me some Harry Styles,” another wrote, “but ‘This doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ was such a WILD thing to say. Thank you very much.” [February 6, 2023]

Lizzo has shared an insight into her evening at the Grammys, capturing the moment her pal Harry Styles won Album of the Year.

SO REAL.” Adele saying ‘I’m screaming’ with a straight face. Lizzo has shared an insight into her evening at the Grammys, capturing the moment her pal Harry Styles won Album of the Year.

Two of Harry Styles' dancers have said they had to quickly adapt their Grammy Awards routine after the stage started spinning in the wrong direction.

"But it's important for us to remember that there's no such thing as the best in music. "So, to switch all those patterns on the spot, having not even walked in that direction... "This whole time we're practicing with the turntable counter-clockwise. "There was nothing we could do to stop it. But when the turntable started turning the wrong way on the night, Da Rocha said the dancers tried to "get the attention of the technician", but it was live TV and they "couldn't yell" so the technician didn't hear them. "The moment the curtain opened and it was time to perform, our turntable started spinning in reverse, backward,"

Harry Styles sang "As It Was" at the Grammys Sunday with background dancers who now allege a stage malfunction caused the awkward performance.

"Styles swapped his eye-popping jumpsuit from the red carpet for a frilly, metallic ensemble, hopping and darting across a giant turntable with his street clothes-clad backup dancers," Ryan wrote. "When the turntable went the opposite direction, dancers tried to subtly get the technician's attention to no avail. [ including Harry Styles, Sam Smith and Stevie Wonder](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/05/grammys-2023-brutally-honest-reviews-every-performance-ranked/11193018002/) "There was nothing we could do to stop it. [Why it's sparking backlash](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/06/harry-styles-grammys-2023-win-people-like-me/11195704002/) [Harry Styles](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/06/harry-styles-grammys-2023-win-people-like-me/11195704002/) has been the talk of the [2023 Grammy Awards](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/05/grammy-awards-2023-live-updates/11170771002/) between his [album of the year win](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/02/06/beyonce-album-year-snub-proves-grammys-still-ignore-her-impact/11179647002/) for " [Harry's House](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/16/harry-styles-harrys-house-album-review/9783009002/)" and his performance of "As It Was."

Styles and the crew were forced to dance the “As It Was” routine backwards while “freaking out on live television,” said one dancer.

Fronted by Styles in a silver tinsel onesie and staged on a giant turntable, the elaborate routine had been rehearsed to a tee for ten days, choreographer Dexter Da Rocha said on [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@dexdexrevolution/video/7197146011641548078?_t=8ZfI9XUpTUA&_r=1) (per [Variety](https://variety.com/2023/music/news/harry-styles-grammys-malfunction-performance-dancers-1235515010/amp/)). Luckily we worked together and did our best and got to one cool formation in time for the overhead shot, but had to change the rest.” [Harry Styles](https://pitchfork.com/artists/33815-harry-styles/) and his dancers had to [perform](https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-harry-styles-perform-as-it-was-at-the-2023-grammys/) their “As It Was” routine in reverse at Sunday’s [Grammys](https://pitchfork.com/topics/grammys/) when the stage rotated in the wrong direction, the singer’s dancers and choreographer have revealed on social media.