Sneak peek: The Harry Styles Effect

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This is the sample I sent to the publisher with my proposal for the Harry Styles book I’m writing.

“It’s a Saturday night at Madison Square Garden! I challenge you to have as much fun as I’m going to have” - Harry Styles in New York, August 2022.

Recently, on a podcast, I heard the singer Brandi Carlisle say that she's sometimes envious of people who came out later in life because they “missed so much shit,” but that maybe coming out earlier is better. To get it over with. "Like chickenpox." She joked that you could have chickenpox parties for queerness. And I immediately thought, that's a Harry Styles show.

At pretty much every one of his shows, Harry gives basically the same speech. It goes along the lines of “My job for the next 90 minutes is to entertain you. But your job is to have the time of your life. To be whoever you want to be in this room. To love whoever you want to love in this room.”

I have, as of this writing, had the best time of my life at twelve Harry shows¹. From Manchester to New York to LA. Next February, I’m going to Australia for the first time for two more shows. And I’m going with friends that I met through Harry Styles.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this coming. I’ve always fallen hard for boybands and I definitely have form for not being satisfied with just one show - I literally got a job as a steward at Wembley so I could see New Kids on the Block multiple times - but there’s something different about a Harry Styles show.