Fine Line
In July 2019, it was reported that Styles was in early talks to play Prince Eric in the live-action Disney film, The Little Mermaid (2023). However, he ultimately turned the part down for various reasons which included touring and wanting to pursue darker, non-musical roles. The part ultimately went to Jonah Hauer-King. “Lights Up”, the lead single from Styles’ second album, Fine Line, was released in October 2019, debuting at number three in the UK. The song featured a “soft-touch re-entry into the pop slipstream”, according to music writer Jon Caramanica.
Styles served as both host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live in November. The second single preceding Fine Line, “Adore You”, was released in December, peaking at number seven in the UK and at number six in the US. That month, Styles again guest-hosted The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Fine Line was released on 13 December. The album was recorded at the Shangri-La studio in Malibu, California, with the same production team behind Styles’ debut album, and features a similar sound to Harry Styles while also incorporating elements of funk and soul. It received generally positive reviews from critics. The album peaked at number two in the UK and topped the US charts, breaking the record as the biggest sales debut from an English male artist in the US since Nielsen SoundScan began electronically tracking sales data in 1991. Rolling Stone ranked it at number 491 in their 2020 list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Five other singles, “Falling”, “Watermelon Sugar”, “Golden”, “Treat People with Kindness” and the title track, were released from the album. “Watermelon Sugar” became Styles’ fourth UK top-ten single, peaking at number four, as well as his first number-one single in the US. A tour to support Fine Line, entitled Love On Tour, which was originally set to take place throughout 2020, was postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the 2020 Brit Awards, Styles was nominated for British Male Solo Artist and British Album of the Year. In March 2020, he performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert, and in July, he narrated a bedtime story titled Dream with Me for the relaxation app Calm. Styles co-wrote the song ‘Changes’ for Cam’s album The Otherside Later that year, Styles won the Favorite Pop/Rock Album award for Fine Line at the 48th American Music Awards, the Best International Artist award at the 34th ARIA Music Awards, and the Chart Achievement Award at the 27th Billboard Music Awards. He was also named Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in March 2021, he received three nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album (Fine Line), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Watermelon Sugar”) and Best Music Video (“Adore You”), winning for Best Pop Solo Performance. “Watermelon Sugar” also earned Styles his second Brit Award for British Single of the Year during the 2021 ceremony. After previous postponement, Love On Tour kicked off on 4 September 2021 in Las Vegas. At the 2021 Ivor Novello Awards, “Adore You” won the award for Most Performed Work. Styles made a cameo appearance as Eros / Starfox, brother of Thanos, in the mid-credits scene of the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Eternals, which was released in November 2021. He launched his gender-neutral skin and nail care brand, Pleasing, that month.