Y’all, it is time to “step into the light,” according to Harry Styles — and we’re ready to follow him the whole way there. The former One Direction member dropped the music video for his brand new single “Lights Up” at midnight on October 11, and TBH, fans haven’t been the same since. Plus, tons of folks have seemingly made connections between the lyrics, release date timing and the steamy scenes in the vid.
Followers started to notice something was up when music players like Spotify and Apple Music started adding photos of the 25-year-old to their weekly new music playlists, leading everyone to the conclusion the single was coming way sooner than expected. Harry then basically confirmed the drop by posting a still from the video to his Twitter and Instagram — then even changing his website and social media layouts on both profiles to reflect the release.
As if that all didn’t completely slay fans enough, then came the actual song and music vid. Boasting lyrics like “I’m never going back” and “Never coming back down,” the soulful and poppy track is a bit of a departure from the classic rock style of his self-titled debut album, but it definitely has something to say.
In fact, fans and followers couldn’t help but tie together the lyrics (which do seem to have a distinct openness about them) and the release date of the track: National Coming Out Day. Plus, some seriously sexy snippets from the video show the English heartthrob in the throes of ~hooking up~ with a group of both men and women.
“Is this a coming out?!” one fan asked, while another added a more in-depth analysis. They called into question the “Do You Know Who You Are” billboards that started appearing in several major cities globally as promo, as well as the subsequent website that followed.
“When you come out, you are expressing who you really are,” the follower deduced. “Like you’re telling others ‘hey, this is me’ or something like that. I’m not saying anything but … do you know who you are?”
Other fans were quick to reject this reasoning, mainly because Harry has been reluctant to put a label on his sexuality and has vocalized as much in past interviews. “He’s a private person and doesn’t want that to be the focus of his life, moreso than the music,” one fan wrote.
Either way, the choice to use men and women in such a seductive and introspective video is definitely a power move. One fan really said it best: “He’s way more comfortable in his sexuality and we love that.” Amen!