When announcing a new single, most artists go through the usual channels — press emails, Twitter announcements, and video snippets. But Harry Styles decided to come up with something different. Rather than speaking to his fans via Instagram live or something straightforward like that, the singer opted for something more vague. Styles came up with an entire fake island called Eroda and a comprehensive travel campaign along with it, all to promote his upcoming single “Adore You.”
People started noticing ads pop up on their timeline to visit a quaint island off the coast of the UK with the hashtag #VisitEroda. The ads seemed standard of most travel campaigns: breathtakingly scenic views, pictures of a quaint town, and examples of local shops and activities. But the more people investigated, the fishier things seemed. The island didn’t show up on Google Maps, every ad was incredibly cryptic, and the travel website looked outdated and was devoid of hyperlinks.
Many who saw the #VisitEroda ads were confused, but Styles’ fans weren’t fooled. The singer’s fan base quickly put together a list of clues that pointed to Styles being behind the campaign. Committed fans matched photos on the island’s website to the location where he was recently spotted filming a video. The biggest clue of all is that the name of the island, Eroda, is “Adore” spelled backward, and a track on Styles’ upcoming record Fine Line is titled “Adore You.”
Fans didn’t have to wait long for their hunches to be confirmed. On Monday, Styles posted a preview of his track “Adore You,” out December 6. The video stars Styles as a boy who grew up in the fictional town of Eroda and each easter egg from the website appears in the preview. The preview ends on a note of anticipation and an announcement that Styles’ full track “Adore You” drops on December 6
Watch Styles’ preview of “Adore You” above.
Fine Line is out 12/13 via Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.
