On Tuesday, November 24, Harry Styles was nominated for three Grammy Awards: Best Music Video for “Adore You,” Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar” and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Fine Line.”

As avid Harry Styles fans, we were overjoyed when he received these nominations because it gives him an opportunity to expose his music to more people, and to us there’s nothing better than that. So, in honor of his nominations, we re-watched all seven of the Harry Styles music videos and analyzed them.  

“Sign of the Times”:

The “Sign of the Times” music video has a much simpler and solemn vibe. But that doesn’t mean it makes us smile any less — seeing baby Harry from when he just started his solo career just warms our hearts, and should be enough justification for everyone to obsess over the video. Nevertheless, the key aspect that makes this video so powerful is Styles’ vulnerability as he takes the viewer on an emotional journey. As the music intensifies when the chorus nears, he starts to physically fly and relax his body letting it move with the music, symbolizing his release from One Direction and the paving of his individual path. Although it’s dangerous, Styles’ shows us that taking risks and revealing our raw emotions can feel exhilarating, almost like flying. There’s something special about the way Styles’ connects with the viewers in this video: His line “just stop your crying” directed to his viewers is enough to make you sob for hours.

“Kiwi”:

At first glance, this video is just plain confusing; the lyrics about adult topics do not match up with the schoolchildren in the video running around and throwing cake at one another. Beyond children going berserk, the video goes on to introduce puppies running around everywhere in the midst of a cake fight in a school cafeteria. But, after watching the video a couple of times, it’s clear that the purpose of it is for the viewer not to elicit a deeper meaning — trust me, we tried. Styles is trying to send a message to his viewers to just enjoy and relax  — a theme evident throughout the carefree nature of the children living their childhood fantasies as no child would pass up the opportunity to throw cake all over the place. The tune of the song is playfully chaotic as the video is, so the only conclusion we can draw is that Styles just wanted us to simply have fun — and hey, we’re not complaining. 

“Lights Up”:

The “Lights Up” music video definitely lives up to its name with its easy going vibe and playful nature. The video has an oblique background with a bright spotlight on Styles, making him seem larger than life himself. While this video may seem to depict a fun party scene, it truly symbolizes Styles’ growth in his musical career. When he first debuted as a singer on X-Factor, he was told that he didn’t have enough confidence. This video separates Styles from One Direction: He’s his own artist now, and this video was a turning point in his solo career, defining his confidence and stature in the music industry because people were able to see a new side of him. 

“Adore You”:

The Grammy-nominated “Adore You” music video differs greatly from the other six as it has more of a conceptual depth. It tells the story of a boy (played by Styles) growing up on the island Eroda where he feels out of place because of his physical differences compared to other constituents. In the video, Styles meets a fish, and they help each other overcome their mental health issues by supporting one another by providing companionship. Though the story itself has no realism, the themes and topics in the music video such as self-discovery and self-acceptance are universal. Everything about this video truly outdid itself, from the visuals to the storyline and the fake island, Styles developed. Styles’ creativity peaked for our number one ranking music video for “Adore You,” which we absolutely “adored.”

“Falling”:

“Falling” has a much different tone than Styles’ other songs — it delivers raw emotion that can’t help but move the viewer. The video starts off with Styles in the shower; his clothes drenched in water. It then progresses to him playing the piano, singing to the viewers as water gradually fills the room until Styles seemingly drowns. But, there’s more to this video than Styles being defeated by his pain, which is represented by the water — in fact, the message is quite the opposite. The ending of the music video is set in the same room as the start, with the water draining through the drain. The music video symbolizes a cycle of almost drowning but then recovering — a pattern that might mirror Styles’s life. Through this video, Styles made himself vulnerable by not covering up himself with lights or any over-the-top effects, making the video even more relatable and achingly sad. 

“Watermelon Sugar”:

“Watermelon Sugar,” a Best Pop Vocal Grammy-nominated song, has a much needed upbeat and cheerful video due to the jejune nature of this year so far. Due to quarantine, most of our beach days and picnic plans have been canceled, but Styles fulfilled our dreams by taking us on a virtual beach day with the “Watermelon Sugar” video setting. Though there is no obvious concept or plot, the visuals of Styles running around in the sand wearing a knit crop top and several different pairs of sunglasses made the video a pleasant experience for viewers. With the mix of being Harry Styles content deprived and the gradual craziness we gained over the COVID-19 months, this was just what we needed to build up our energy. The entirety of the music video created a lively environment for everyone, both inside and out of the video to enjoy.

“Golden”:

The “Golden” music video, the newest out of the seven music videos, is easily comparable to the aesthetic of the “Watermelon Sugar” video. The immaculate vibes of Styles running around the coast of Italy in a Gucci suit brought us the serotonin we didn’t know we needed. Though the concept is simple, the aesthetics of the video reminded fans of the happy days Styles spent touring. Much like the “Watermelon Sugar” music video, the visuals of this one are what truly made everyone so impressed. The appearance of Styles’ yellow and white nail polish and his simple pearl necklace likely made most Target supplies sell out from fans, like us, trying to DIY the look themselves. However, his clothing choice also made an important statement regarding gender roles in clothing, essentially saying that the binary labels of masculine and feminine were pointless and that everyone should be able to express themselves in any way they feel comfortable. From start to finish, the music video leads us through an emotional rollercoaster from seeing our favorite Brit smiling and dancing in the streets of Europe. Some may say everything about this video was simply “Golden.”

Watching all these videos reminds us how unique of an artist Styles is. Through his videos, we can clearly see Styles’ musical journey and how much his confidence and music style has grown since One Direction. He has blossomed into his own artist and gained the confidence necessary to simply enjoy himself while performing, an emotion that carries on to the viewers as well. 

Harry, if you’re reading this — we hope you never stop taking us on your artistic journeys, we can’t wait to see what you come up with next. And if you ever need extras when filming your next music video, hit us up.