Nearly two years after his debut album was released, Harry Styles puts out his new hit single “Lights Up” on Oct. 11, 2019. The singer/songwriter/actor gave subtle hints throughout the release week that both excited and confused his fans. Styles began his promotion by tweeting the single word “Do.” Considering the artist is not generally active on social media, fans had a sense of suspicion around the lone word. Next, the singer launched a website called DoYouKnowWhoYouAre.com that generated compliments to fans and was signed “Love, H,” signaling a personal touch. Immediately after the website was launched, fans began to suspect a new musical era of the former boy band member. A few days later, fans began to see posters around the world with the same question “Do You Know Who You Are?”. The large black posters displayed the question in bold white letters and were signed underneath with the acronym “TPWK,” Styles’s signature motto, “Treat People With Kindness.” Some of the places these posters were found were Australia, New York, California, Japan and London. After a week of hints, fans knew that Styles’s new era had officially begun.

The single and music video were simultaneously released. In contrast to his previous album, Styles gave off a more sensual vibe for his new era. Styles’s 2017 self-titled album was the first album he released after the temporary hiatus of of his former boy band One Direction. During his time in One Direction, the 25-year-old sang teen pop hits along with his three other bandmates. In his previous album, Styles had a mixture of soft mellow rock with a hint of pop. This time around, fans predict the album to have a more intimate and anti-pop feeling.

Aside from the immense positive feedback from Styles’s fanbase, the hit single also received tremendous placements in the music charts. With less than a week’s worth of promo, and no direct release date confirmation, the single accomplished many musical records. After its release, it spent two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and had a peak position of number 17. Aside from the song itself, the music video has hit 28 million views. Now that Styles’s second era has formally began, fans are getting ecstatic to see what comes next. Many predict Styles will begin to announce his second debut album and world tour.