About Sign of the Times

"Sign of the Times" is the debut single by English singer Harry Styles from his self-titled debut studio album. Released on 7 April 2017 by Columbia Records, it was written by Styles, Jeff Bhasker, Mitch Rowland, Ryan Nasci, Alex Salibian, and Tyler Johnson, and produced by Bhasker, Salibian, and Johnson. Musically, it was described by critics as a pop rock and soft rock ballad. Its accompanying music video was released on 8 May 2017. "Sign of the Times" reached number one on the UK charts and number four in the United States. In 2018, the single won a BMI Pop Award, and the video won a Brit Award for British Artist Video of the Year. In 2021, Rolling Stone placed it at number 428 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Rumours about Styles embarking on a solo career sparked in 2015, when it was reported that Sony Music wanted Styles to release a solo album during One Direction's hiatus. By the end of 2015, four new songs written and performed by Styles were registered on the ASCAP online database, which was believed to be for his potential debut solo album at the time. Shortly after, Styles signed with American agent Jeffrey Azoff and inked a record contract with Columbia Records. In September 2016, Styles appeared on the cover of Another Man, which led to media speculation about a new album on the horizon. In February 2017, the CEO of Columbia Records, Rob Stringer, revealed that the album was close to being finished and called it "authentic". A month later, it was reported that the album sounded like David Bowie and Queen, and was later revealed to have been executively produced by Grammy award-winning producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Fun, Mark Ronson). The same report also hinted that the lead single would be released in late April or early May and sounded "like it would be a smash in any decade". The same month, US radio host Elvis Duran accidentally revealed during his show that Styles' debut single would be released on 7 April 2017. On 25 March, Styles teased the new single with a television ad during The Voice UK. On 31 March, the singer revealed through social media that his single is titled "Sign of the Times". On 7 April, the song premiered during Nick Grimshaw's breakfast show on BBC Radio 1.