3 Artists Who Inspire Harry

There are many celebrities who Harry has idolized since the day he started singing, but here are three just to name a few.

1. Stevie Nicks

Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks have formed a one-of-a-kind friendship. Even though there is almost a 50-year age difference, they have recently become dear friends and duet partners. They support one another and they love to sing and listen to each other's music. The first time they were on stage together was after Styles released his first album. Nicks made a surprise appearance in Los Angeles at The Troubadour where her and Styles sang a few songs including "Two Ghosts," "Landslide," and "Leather and Lace." A few years later when Harry Styles introduced Stevie Nicks for her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, Styles joined her in singing "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Later that year, Stevie Nicks made her second appearance at a Harry Styles concert at The Forum where they sang "Landslide" again. Not only does Styles look at Nicks as a friend, but he considers her a mentor, and thinks highly of her opinion. Before his second album was even released Styles had Nicks and her friends over to listen to it. They loved it so much that they stayed over until 6 a.m. listening to Fine Line over and over again. Stevie Nicks even compared Fine Line to her Rumours when she tweeted, “I am getting all my paintings and drawings out ~ listening to music (mostly Harry Styles’ “Fine Line”) and being inspired by him to write some new songs and poetry... Way to go H.~ it is your Rumours…” Considering Rumours is said to be Fleetwood Mac's most popular album, we can only imagine how high of a complement that was to Harry.

2. Mick Jagger

Harry is a big classic rock fan. Once he went solo, he wanted his sound to evolve from pop to rock. Although The Rolling Stones have a much more definitive heavy rock sound, Styles still cites Mick Jagger as a source of inspiration. In an MTV interview when talking about Jagger and McCartney, Styles said "When I look at them, I don't know what it is, but it's this, this something special... They don't stop being great to me." Not only does Styles take inspiration on Jagger's sound, but he has also been known to act like him too. Whether on purpose or not, Harry Styles' stage presence frequently mimics that of Mick Jagger's. He dances like him, moves like him, interacts with his bandmates in similar ways, and they even share the same mannerisms. Styles also impersonated Jagger on an SNL skit and did a beautiful job. It almost looked too easy. Mick Jagger even said that Harry's impersonation was the best one that's been done so far. And Lastly, Styles also takes fashion inspiration from Jagger. For instance, he was seen in a bright yellow suit at the Brit Awards which resembled a suit Jagger wore in the 70s.

3. Elvis Presley

Ever since Harry was little, he would sing Elvis songs on the karaoke machine that his grandfather gave to him. In fact, in a Rolling Stone interview he said “The first music I ever heard was Elvis Presley. When I was little, we got a karaoke machine and I sang Elvis, because that’s what my grandparents listened to. I made my grandfather a tape of me doing Elvis songs..." Actually, the first song that Harry remembers knowing all the words to is "Girl of My Best Friend." If you've ever listened to these lyrics, you can undoubtedly see the influence Elvis has had on Harry's own songwriting. It's as if these memories of him learning, singing, and recording himself performing these Elvis songs, reflects highly on his career now. He is doing the same exact thing, just at an older age. He now writes, records, and performs his own songs, some influenced by the Rock and Roll King himself: Elvis Presley. It's even crazy to see the similarities in how they both dress. It's makes sense that Harry also takes some fashion inspiration from one of his role models. In fact, his style is one of the reasons why his fans believe that he should have been casted in the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann. In my opinion it makes sense. Both artists have similar styles and exude confidence on stage, but who wouldn't wearing the bold suits that they do/did.