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Harry Styles sparked backlash by saying “people like me” don’t win Grammys. But what exactly does it mean?
The 29-year-old Watermelon Sugar singer has come under fire for his “deaf” acceptance speech when he won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
She picked up the award for her third solo album, Harry’s House, beating out Beyoncé, who had been a frontrunner with her album, Renaissance.
But he was accused of “white privilege” after he said “people like me” don’t win Grammys, with fans pointing out that as a white, cisgender man, he’s actually the complete opposite.
However, fans jumped to his defense, with some saying the singer was pointing to his humble roots after growing up in a small town in the north of England.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for the star over the past year after receiving scathing movie reviews, accusations of ‘queer bait’ and the now notorious ‘spit-gate’ saga.
The singer (pictured at the Grammys) sparked backlash when he said “people like me” don’t win the Grammys.
Harry pictured with his father, Des Styles, a finance director
Harry Styles’ childhood home in the Cheshire village of Holmes Chapel
Harry Style’s comment has sparked a debate online about what exactly he meant when he said “people like me”.
A reporter said that when Harry made the comment, he was referring to not being “graceful and parent-blessed.”
She tweeted: “To a UK ear, when Harry Styles says ‘things like this don’t happen to people like me’ this is what he means,” before linking to an article on British nepo babies.
Another said “I think he means someone from a small working-class town with no connections going on to become one of the biggest artists in the world, because he said that after selling out Wembley too, but like… nobody’s going to hear”. that way?’
But some have questioned whether Harry came from the working class.
The singer was born in Evesham, Worcestershire in 1993, the daughter of Anne, an office worker, and Des, a financial manager.
When she was seven, her parents divorced and she moved to the village of Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, with her mother and older sister, Gemma.
“That was a really weird moment,” he later said.
Harry Styles when he was young: the boy said he cried when his parents divorced and it took a toll on him
‘I remember crying about it. I didn’t really understand what was going on correctly. I was sad because my parents would no longer be together.’
Harry, by his own account, said he had a “great childhood” and felt supported by his family.
Speaking in a 2012 interview, his father Des said that he “used to see Harry and his sister Gemma every two weeks, I’ve always supported them financially and when I can emotionally.”
He added: ‘I’m not an estranged parent. It was a difficult time to leave them, but these things happen.’
His mother, Anne, remarried in 2013 to Robin Twist, and Harry was best man at the wedding. Robin died of cancer in 2017.
Harry attended Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School, where he was the lead singer in a band called White Eskimo.
As a young man, he worked part-time at the W. Mandeville Bakery in Holmes Chapel.
Harry worked part-time at the W. Mandeville Bakery in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, where he grew up from the age of seven.
Harry Styles auditioning for The X Factor in 2010
Around the time Harry auditioned for The X Factor, in 2010, he had just finished his GCSEs and was planning to go off to university in September to study law, sociology and business studies.
He was supported by his mother and stepfather Robin when he auditioned as a soloist for the ITV show, singing Stevie Wonder’s ‘Isn’t She Lovely’.
He impressed the judges and progressed to the next round, eventually joining boy band One Direction with Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne.
The band enjoyed a host of hits including What Makes You Beautiful, Story of My Life, and Best Song Ever.
But in 2016, Styles and his bandmates decided to take a break from recording and touring, and pursued a solo career by signing with Columbia Records.
His single ‘Sign of the Times’ topped the UK Singles Chart in 2017, as well as his self-titled debut album ‘Harry Styles’.
Since then, Harry has become a global artist and actor.
That same year he also made his acting debut in the World War II film Dunkirk, receiving positive reviews.
His second solo album, Fine Line, was also successful when it was released in 2019, breaking US sales records for a British male singer.
Her song Watermelon Sugar won a number of awards, including a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and a BRIT Award for British Single of the Year.
After appearing on the cover of the Vogue celebrity bible in a Gucci dress, she sparked a debate about masculinity and gender-fluid fashion.
Fans praised Styles for the 2020 cover, in which he wore a blue dress and became the first solo male cover star to appear on it.
Harry Styles performing at Coachella in 2022
However, conservative commentator Candace Owens called it a “straight attack on manly men”, prompting other celebrities to speak out in defense of the singer.
During his interview with Vogue, Styles said: “I think if you get something that you feel amazing in, it’s like a superhero suit.”
He has previously addressed his sexuality in interviews, saying he “never felt the need” to put a label on it.
But his team had to scramble to fight queer-harassment allegations once again this year, as Harry hinted he wasn’t straight but refused to label his sexuality, suggesting he’s fluid.
Some fans pointed out that he has only dated, or at least been seen publicly dating women.
Harry went on to play the lead in Don’t Worry Darling, a psychological thriller directed by his now ex-girlfriend Olivia Wilde.
He will also appear in the romantic drama My Policeman, set in Brighton in the 1950s, during which he plays a gay policeman.
But Harry was far from the critics’ choice in both of his films this year, including Don’t Worry Darling, in which some said he couldn’t hold his own against Oscar nominee Florence Pugh.
She also drew criticism for a Gucci ad campaign in which she poses in a teddy bear T-shirt next to a toddler bed, just weeks after the fashion house’s sister brand Balenciaga was embroiled in a scandal of children’s images.
Meanwhile, Harry’s House, her third album released in 2022, has won three Grammy Awards, including album of the year and best pop vocal album.