This Sunday, Harry Styles took home the Grammy for Album of the Year, for his album, Harry’s House. The high point of his career—which began in 2010, when he was only 16 years old—came with some consternation from Grammy viewers, online and inside of the theater.
During his acceptance speech, Styles was heckled by audience members, who booed or called out. When Styles mentions taking inspiration from the other nominees in his category, microphones picked up someone in the seats shout, “Beyonce!”
This called back to two previous Grammy ceremonies, where Beyonce was mentioned—but did not win—for Album of the Year. In 2017, Adele used time in her acceptance speech to point out her admiration for the Lemonade singer and her nominated album, and in 2015, Kanye West pretended to rush the stage during Beck’s acceptance speech.
Beyonce, notably, had a record-breaking evening, despite losing Album of the Year. She won four other awards that evening and broke the record for most wins held by a single performer, at 32. She and her husband, Jay-Z, have each garnered 88 nominations.
Twitter users were abuzz after his speech, with users calling out the controversial line that Styles closed with, “This is really, really kind. I’m so, so grateful. […] This doesn’t happen to people like me very often.” Users were quick to point out that Styles has had a relatively smooth career, transitioning from boy band superstar to a respected artist, in his own right.
His personal life, however, has not been as smooth.
Style has been outspoken about his own mental health struggles. He has faced anxiety since his boy band days, saying, “I suffered some pretty serious confidence issues when I first appeared on stage. At that point, any natural confidence I had was being taken over by nerves because back then I had no idea how to channel and control my anxiety.”
Styles has also spoken about how much a weekly therapy appointment has benefitted him, personally. Atop of his mental health, Styles has faced illnesses in his family. His step-father, Robin Styles, passed away of lung cancer. He has also been supporting his mother and grandfather, as his grandfather battled Parkinson’s disease. Styles paid for his grandfather’s assisted living until his death, in 2021.
Sources:
https://www.insider.com/harry-styles-one-direction-anxiety-2019-8
