Harry Styles’ astonishing turn from ‘X Factor’ survivor to solo superstar

nypost.com:

No. 1 single “Watermelon Sugar” in 2020, a judge on Britain’s “The X Factor” was sour on the future pop superstar.After the then-16-year-old bakery worker crooned Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” a cappella during his 2010 audition, he was unceremoniously shot down by music manager Louis Walsh. “I think you’re so young, I don’t think you have enough experience or confidence yet,” he said to a scarf-draped Styles.But the other two judges — Nicole Scherzinger and, especially, Simon Cowell — saw something special in the young singer and voted him through to the next round.

And Cowell would go on to pair Styles with four other contestants on “X Factor” to form One Direction.Since then, the only direction has been up for the floppy-haired lad from Cheshire, England, who went from being the boy band’s biggest heartthrob to a Grammy-winning solo sensation, who, on Friday, headlined his second of two weekends at Coachella.

And with his new No. 1 single “As It Was” heating up anticipation for his third solo album, “Harry’s House” (out May 20), Styles’ career is on fire.“He really has become one of the biggest artists of this generation,” said Tom Poleman, chief programming officer and president of national programming for iHeartMedia. “He’s the concert that everybody wants to see, he’s the music that everybody wants to hear on the radio, and then he’s also the artist everyone wants to follow on social.

He’s up to 81 million followers between Twitter and Instagram alone. Those are mega-star numbers.”Certainly, headlining one of the biggest, buzziest music festivals on the planet felt like a crowning moment for the new prince of pop. “He’s got to be the first person who came to fame because of a reality show to headline.