Harry Styles has stolen the show (and our hearts) yet again! He was the big winner last weekend at The Brits, and I couldn’t help but reminisce on his iconic award show moments.
How could I forget his most recent live performance at the GRAMMYs?! Only Mr. Styles could get away with not wearing a shirt to OPEN the biggest music award show. Bare chest and all, he performed a chilled-out rendition of his hit song “Watermelon Sugar”. His green boa and dance moves with his backup singers has lived rent free in my head ever since.
We have to admire his variety and ability to keep things interesting for his fans. He loves to change it up for every performance, and is known to throw in some covers with his originals. If you want to hear Harry sing some old songs in a new style, here’s some of my favorite covers of his.
5. “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town
Although Harry is known to make his covers sound like his own song, he seems to stick to the design of the original. When you search “Girl Crush” on Spotify, Harry’s version comes up first.
4. “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell
This is the cover I needed from that him that I never knew I wanted. The energy in the room during this performance is immaculate: Harry and his bandmates are playful and laughing as he performs, and you can feel it through the screen. My favorite parts are his adlibs throughout.
3. “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac
This cover by Harry is one of my favorites – I’ve been waiting for them to drop a studio version so I can listen to it on repeat forever. Stevie Nicks has always been one of Harry’s idols, so this choice is no surprise. Although he sang this original duet all by himself, you can hear his bandmates dominating the background vocals. As the song goes on, you can hear his voice going harder and louder, and it showcases his skills that he doesn’t necessarily show in his albums.
2. “Just A Little Bit of Your Heart” by Ariana Grande
This may be an Ariana Grande song, but Styles actually wrote it. During his HS1 tour, he would perform this song and I couldn’t wait to see it live. When I saw him in concert, I was not disappointed, someone brought in colored papers while each section of the stadium held up the paper to their flashlight, and the arena was a huge rainbow. Not only was the energy amazing, but so was the performance. He hits some notes that we don’t necessarily see in his own music, and I like especially like his slower songs. You can feel the emotion with him as he sings it.
1. “Juice” by Lizzo
Harry’s gave a legendary performance to Lizzo’s “Juice” for a 2019 Super Bowl party in Miami. Despite being known for slower music pop music, his voice can match any genre. When I saw that Harry covered this, I was excited to see his range and interpretation.
Ever since this performance, Lizzo has dropped photos or Tik Toks about Styles and meeting up with him before award shows. Who knew Lizzo and Harry were so close?
Honorable mentions:
“Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West
I was surprised when I heard Harry had covered Kanye – I had never heard the song before, so I didn’t really know what to think. When I listened to Harry’s cover, I thought “There’s no way Kanye has a song that sounds like this”. And in a way, I was right. Harry’s adaptation is so much different than Kanye’s. His is a slower variation, and sounds like a sad love ballad, while Kanye’s is about questioning his faith with Jesus.
“You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain
Styles sang this song as a duet with his HS1 tour opener, Kacey Musgraves at a show in New York. Kacey and Harry’s voices harmonizing together – now this cover gives me goosebumps. You can see the chemistry between the two in the video.
No matter who wrote the song, Harry Styles is always able to make it his own. As a fan, it’s fun to see different sides of him. As you can tell from the list, he has a wide range of music taste that extends beyond his own genre. Nothing but respect for our eclectic king!
