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Wild about Harry

Styles has talent, Neil Mccormick says, but he won't win the Mercury Prize.

In making the shortlist for the 2022 Mercury Prize, Harry Styles continues one of the most remarkable journeys in pop history. From a TV talent show hopeful singing karaoke covers to teen-screaming global boyband idol to blockbuster solo singer-songwriter with Hollywood thespian clout, the 28-year-old can now claim the endorsement of the U.K.'S sniffiest music critics as he adds artistic credibility to his commercial cachet.

The Mercury Prize might not mean much in financial terms to a man who has already topped charts worldwide and sold out Wembley Stadium, but it carries weight in terms of perception, affirming that this populist pin-up is operating at the high end of musical adventure and creativity.

In the charts, his competition might come from flashy pop groups and slick U.S. rappers, but in the Mercury Prize his peers include Gwenno, a Welsh indie art chanteuse who has made an album in the Cornish language, and Fergus Mccreadie, a Scottish jazz piano wunderkind.

What's more, Styles is nominated on merit. His progression as a songwriter, performer and creative personality in tune with the times has been fascinating. The former 1D cheeky chappie has found his feet across three beguiling albums, with this year's offering Harry's House already the standout of 2022.

Blending colourful 1980s inflected dance pop with '70s singer-songwriter harmonic melodiousness, all wrapped around lyrics infused with thoughtful empathy, it captures an anything-goes spirit of a new generation, at once sexy and hopeful and caring.

And every song sounds like a hit, which is what makes pop music popular, after all. It doesn't bear thinking what the rest of One Direction will make of this. The words sick and parrot come to mind.

He won't win, if that's any consolation to his former bandmates. But it doesn't really matter, in this instance. Styles's record-breaking first week sales probably dwarf the rest of the Mercury Prize list combined. He is pretty much nailed on for a Brit award next year and will almost certainly be flying the flag for U.K. music at the Grammy Awards along side Adele and Ed Sheeran.

Plus, he has other things to focus on — Styles has reportedly just signed a five-movie deal with Marvel Studios worth $100 million to play the character of Eros.

But Styles will have his Mercury Prize statuette (because everyone on the Mercury gets an award), and will know that he is considered an artist, and not just a product. Simply being included on this shortlist is a victory for a mainstream star in terms of reframing their narrative.

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2022-08-06T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-06T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://vancouversun.pressreader.com/article/282248079327935

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