How about a snack from a snack? One month after Harry Styles delivered “Lights Up,” the lead single from his upcoming sophomore album, the former One Direction star released, “Watermelon Sugar.” To say that fans were ready to bite off a piece was an understatement. Harry unveiled the track by performing it during his hosting gig on SNL on Nov. 17. He wore a brightly-colored red suit where he belted out the song in front of several musicians and backup singers. The response from his fans was very positive on social media with many tweeting how they were blasting the song on repeat in the hours since it made its debut on the popular late-night sketch comedy series.
While this new song’s release came by surprise, fans had suspected that Harry’s next song was going to be called this for weeks. “Kiwi walked so Watermelon Sugar could run,” Harry tweeted on Oct. 22. While some had suspected that Harry had somehow indulged in some kind of hallucinogens (remember how he told Rolling Stone that one time, he did “mushrooms and I bit off the tips of my tongue”?), this seems to not be the case. After all, “Kiwi” was the third and final single to Harry’s debut solo album, and it is considered a fan favorite.
This is the second track off his upcoming album, Fine Line. Harry’s sophomore release will drop on Friday, December 13…which happens to be a particular date to those keeping track of Harry Styles lore. The day that his album is released happens to be Taylor Swift’s 30th birthday. Fans were quick to pounce on the coincidence, and some wondered if Harry’s new record could possibly feature his ex-girlfriend on a track.
It’s more likely that Harry didn’t want to steal the thunder from Liam Payne, since Liam’s debut album, LP1, is out a week earlier on Dec. 6. Releasing Fine Line a week later, on Dec. 20, might cut it too close to Christmas, and shipping around that time of year is such a nightmare.
Fans will get a chance to hear “Watermelon Sugar,” “Lights Up,” and the rest of his new music soon. Harry announced on Nov. 13 that he’s hitting the road in 2020 for the “Love On Tour.” The first leg of the world tour sees Harry swing around Europe, hitting up Birmingham on April 15. From there, he’ll roam around the UK before hitting up Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Italy – you name it. King Princess, Jenny Lewis, and Jamaican reggae singer Koffee will open up for the “Lights Up” singer. As for fans in North America, he lands in Philadelphia on June 26 before traveling all around the United States, Canada, and Mexico.