Few pop stars this decade are as on steady ground as Harry Styles is currently, coming off a Billboard 200-topping album in Harry’s House that won album of the year at the Grammys and spawned one of the decade’s biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits in “As It Was.” But from the sound of his 2026 comeback single — and the title of his upcoming album — Styles isn’t resting on his laurels.
“Aperture,” the lead single from Styles’ March-due fourth solo album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, bowed two Fridays ago (Jan. 23) with a rather new sound for the pop superstar — electronic and highly club-forward, though still with a bit of an indie undercurrent to it. Regardless of the change of direction, “Aperture” is off to a tremendous start on the charts, bowing at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 (dated Feb. 7).
How big a deal for Styles is “Aperture” debuting atop the chart? And how does this song and its initial reception bode for the rest of his upcoming album era? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Harry Styles’ “Aperture” debuts at No. 1 on the Hot 100 — his third No. 1 in three albums, and second straight lead single to debut on top. Is this a particularly meaningful No. 1 for Styles, or is it just business as usual for one of the world’s biggest pop stars?
Hannah Dailey: I think Harry is probably at the point in his career where a No. 1 debut is kind of no big deal – I’m definitely not surprised to see it come in on top. But I do think it’s more meaningful that he achieved this with a song that’s longer than five minutes and is distinctly more experimental than his past singles, indicating that his fanbase isn’t just large, which we already knew – it’s also willing to embrace Harry no matter what type of music he releases.
Kyle Denis: Business as usual, really. I’ll throw him a bone and say it’s cool that each of those No. 1s sounds markedly different from the next. And they each feel emblematic of their respective parent albums (at least so far).
Meghan Mahar: For Harry, and in the greater context of his career, this is a huge achievement. A reminder: One Direction, as a group, never had a Hot 100 No. 1, and only two members have had solo Hot 100 No. 1 debuts (Zayn with “Pillowtalk” in 2016 and Harry with “As It Was” in 2022). The fact that Harry was able to get a second No. 1 debut in a row four years later is an incredible feat and promising sign for his legacy as a soloist. But in this current pop landscape, it’s not shocking to me: The charts are overdue for some shaking up. Four of the top 10 songs have been charting for over 30 weeks. I think people have been waiting for a major pop star to break through the mainstream again, and Harry was overdue for a return.
Rebecca Milzoff: I think it’s the new business as usual for an artist with three Billboard 200 No. 1 albums as a solo act, an album of the year Grammy win, and that mega-residency at Madison Square Garden coming up. It feels meaningful timing-wise more than anything to me: at a moment when it truly feels like the entire country and world are burning, the news that we’re getting a new Harry album had major “sometimes, we do get nice things!” vibes, and the “we belong together” refrain resonated particularly deeply.
Andrew Unterberger: Business as usual, and business is good.
2. “Aperture” is a pretty dramatic sonic left turn for Styles, adopting a clubbier sound that presumably previews a new direction on his upcoming album. Based on these early returns, how successful do you think the pivot will be?
Hannah Dailey: The pivot will be successful, I’m sure. He’s good at playing around with musical styles that he seems genuinely interested in without making them feel like personas he’s trying on. It’s one reason I think his fans are down for whatever he does, and with Harry’s Brat era loading, they’re more locked in than ever.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s guaranteed to be successful, because this is the exact sonic space pop music has been in since the turn of the decade. Essentially every major and mid-sized pop figure has taken their stab at a dance album or single since 2020; its simply Styles’ turn to do so now. Do I think he has another “As It Was” in the tuck? Not necessarily, but I expect him to have at least two or three more solid cross-metric hits like “Watermelon Sugar” and “Adore You” by the time the era has wrapped.
Meghan Mahar: I think that Harry’s alleged pivot will not only be successful – it will be the biggest moment in his career thus far. Every time he has released an album, Styles has gotten artistically stronger, become even more commercially successful, and won over skeptics. And even though the sonic preview we heard on “Aperture” is new to Styles, it is not new to the current cultural zeitgeist. Dance music is more commercially successful than it has ever been, as dance pop from artists like PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson is massive right now, and people want to be in the club (at least, in spirit). We are still talking about Brat. Harry, please put out some future “club classics.”
Rebecca Milzoff: I’m not entirely convinced yet that the sound of “Aperture” is representative of the entire album; Harry’s House was fairly sonically diverse, ranging from ecstatic funk to intimate folk, and in his recent interview on John Mayer’s podcast, Harry said the comma in the title is a very important one. Punctuation conspiracy theorist that I am, I wondered if that meant the “disco” (ie dance-y) element of the album would feel more sporadic than an overall flower child-ish romanticism that I think we’ve already seen seeds of in Harry’s previous work. Regardless of how bit a stylistic pivot it turns out to be, the record will be huge — what matters is that it’s a new Harry Styles record, whatever that sounds like.
Andrew Unterberger: The sound of “Aperture” is absolutely stunning to me; it’s undoubtedly going to end up being one of the most successful pop productions of the year. Is it the best thing for Harry Styles’ songwriting and the types of songs he tends to excel at performing? That I’m less sure of, so I will be very curious about how the full Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally ends up landing.
3. “As It Was,” Styles’ most recent No. 1, spent 15 weeks atop the chart, but 2020’s “Watermelon Sugar” spent just one week on top. Which kind of chart run do you think “Aperture” will closely mirror?
Hannah Dailey: If I had to choose, I’d pick “Watermelon Sugar,” but I could also see “Aperture” spending a few more weeks up top. A 15-week run is so rare, though, and when it happens, it’s usually once in a career — and I don’t think a song like “Aperture” is the one to break that standard, if only because it isn’t as accessible to casual listeners as “As It Was” was. (Tongue twister!)
Kyle Denis: More than likely, “Aperture” will mirror “Watermelon Sugar.” From the extended instrumental intro to the overall weaker hook, it will be an uphill battle for the new single to match the damage “As It Was” did.
Meghan Mahar: With no disrespect to Mr. Styles, I am not confident that he can replicate a 15-week run – not because his fans aren’t dedicated enough, or because the music doesn’t hold up – but because we’re coming up on a Super Bowl Halftime Show, with one of the most globally impactful acts in recent memory: Bad Bunny. If the Grammys showed us anything, it’s that there is going to be a major Benito blitz. I wouldn’t be shocked if Harry got bumped out of his spot pretty quickly. Sorry, Harry.
Rebecca Milzoff: That’s fascinating to learn, considering how culture-saturating “Watermelon Sugar” felt amid the first pandemic summer — but it was in short order up against two huge juggernauts in Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s “WAP” and BTS’ “Dynamite.” I can see “Aperture” having a similarly short run there; following her domination of Grammy week (and the Radio Songs chart) along with her best new artist win, I wouldn’t be surprised if Olivia Dean’s current No. 3-residing “Man I Need” ended up displacing her fellow Brit at the top.
Andrew Unterberger: Considering the daily streams of this song have been leaking pretty considerably since its splashy first-day debut — and considering how competitive things are about to get on the charts — I think one-and-done feels a distinct possibility for this song. Certainly, if it does end up racking up multiple weeks at No. 1, that will be a major accomplishment to kick off this Styles cycle.
4. There’s been two No. 1 debuts on the Hot 100 this month, after only four total such debuts all of last year. Does it feel like an unusually busy start to the year in pop so far, or are these songs more the exception than the rule?
Hannah Dailey: It might be a busier-than-usual beginning to the year, but both Harry and Bruno are artists from whom fans have been waiting years for new solo music. I’d chalk it up to that anticipation/demand more than anything else.
Kyle Denis: I hesitate to say “unusual” because 2024 also began with a rush of high-profile releases, but there are almost too many major comebacks slated for the first few months of this year. When the comebacks in question are for megastars like Harry, BTS and Bruno Mars… those lead singles are practically guaranteed to have lofty Hot 100 debuts thanks to their star power and rabid fanbases. So, let’s say it’s a little bit of both.
Meghan Mahar: With all the buildup around both releases, I wouldn’t expect Harry Styles and Bruno Mars to have debuted at anything but No. 1.. but something is going on with Q1 of 2026. I wish I knew the cause, but there is a noticeable rush for artists across all genres to put out music. By the time March ends, we will have releases from A$AP Rocky, BLACKPINK, Bruno Mars, Harry, BTS and more – that’s crazy. The new norm of getting inundated with new music options served to us on streaming services every week probably makes consumers a bit numb to how busy it is right now, but not for the pop fanatics who follow these things closely.
Rebecca Milzoff: A bit of both – artists breaking out at the top of this year aren’t competing with a holdover hit from the previous year, like last year’s situation with “Die With a Smile” (Mariah Carey’s annual Christmas takeover broke the reign of “The Fate of Ophelia,” which already feels like more of a 2025 song to me somehow). But it does also feel like a uniquely busy time for big artists making highly-anticipated returns after big breaks: besides Harry, there’s Bruno Mars, and soon BTS and Blackpink will no doubt blow up the top of the chart.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ve been pretty stunned with how busy things have felt in general, both with the surfeit of significant new releases, those releases making a bigger immediate impact than I might have expected, and even more major releases announced as coming in the not-distant future. In another recent January, either Mars or Styles might’ve cruised to three, four weeks at No. 1, or another holdover song like “Golden” might’ve returned to No. 1 post-holidays and continued to rule almost definitely. But no one’s cruising to the top spot for any duration right now; they’re gonna have to earn it every week. We love to see it, honestly.
5. What’s your favorite camera-themed pop song?
Hannah Dailey: “Supercut” by Lorde.
Kyle Denis: “Nasty Girl / On Camera” by Gunna is an ETERNAL banger.
Meghan Mahar: “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga — an incredible hit by a legendary pop star (with an iconic 2009 VMAs performance). I hope Harry is “ready for those flashing lights” and 30 nights at Madison Square Garden. I’ll see him there.
Rebecca Milzoff: It’s a close tie between Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On” — the epitome of taut, restrained, futuristic rock cool — and The Cure’s “Pictures of You,” which feels like the total opposite, with its luxuriously long instrumental intro building to Robert Smith’s voice finally entering with a line that’s sad-romantic nostalgia incarnate: “I’ve been staring so long at these picture of you/ That I almost believe that they’re real…”
Andrew Unterberger: My pick is also Trevor Noah’s: “DtMF”!