Harry Styles Releases Music Video for Emotional New Single "As It Was"

Harry Styles has released “As It Was,” the debut single from his upcoming third album Harry’s House. While previous music endeavors were packed with songs such as “Lights Up,” “Watermelon Sugar” and “Golden,” it seems that the upcoming album is going to be Styles’ most personal and open to date — especially if “As It Was” is anything to go by.

The song opens with children saying “Come on, Harry, we wanna say good night to you,” before a synthy melody promising a cheerfully upbeat song kicks in. However, Styles’ lyrics are quite the contrary, ranging from “In this world, it’s just us / You know it’s not the same as it was” to “Answer the phone / Harry, you’re no good alone / Why are you sitting at home on the floor? / What kind of pills are you on?,” which perhaps allude to the singer’s loneliness in relation to growing fame. 

Standing as one of the most emotionally impactful songs he’s ever written, “As It Was” is accompanied by a music video that sees the singer surrounded by strangers in London’s Barbican Center — and later on at the end completely alone, free, and happy — while a touching dance routine in the middle of the video echoes the closeness he sings for.

Harry Styles’ “As It Was” can be watched above and streamed on all platforms now. Harry’s House will release on May 20.

In other news, Doja Cat said she will quit music once she’s finished with The Weeknd’s After Hours tour.