Harry Styles has been hanging out with James Corden this week, possibly kindling a long-running bromance between the two British stars, but certainly promoting his new, self-titled solo album as much as he possibly can. Most stars are happy to land a late night performance slot at all — let alone a whole week in the spotlight!
Styles is special though, as one of the first boys to break away from pop’s enormously popular boy band One Direction, he’s already established himself as a bona fide star. His new album, however, leaves a bit to be desired. But his appearances on the Late Late Show have been entertaining none the less.
First, he performed his sweeping lead single “Sign Of The Times” and explained to James what stage diving is really like — spoiler alert, not that great. Then last night, he performed “Carolina” on the show. This song is dedicated to a girl Styles says he only met once, she is the quintessential “good girl” who moved out to LA on a word from her grandma — “Townes, better swim before you drown” (woo, oh yeah)” — smart girl. Fans think they know who she is, and that this line contains a reference to her name, but it could also just be a reference to a Townes Van Zandt song: “You got to swim before you fly.”
In an interview with BBC, Harry said the track is one of the last songs he wrote, that it’s about a specific person, and that she’s aware of the song. The plot thickens! Anyway, as far as tempo, the track is definitely a bit more upbeat than “Sign Of The Times” or even his other early single, “Sweet Creature.” Watch his performance, which includes a dashing maroon suit, up top.
