Long awaited and missed, Harry Styles has returned to the spotlight. 

His new song “Lights Up” came out Oct. 11 and has already shot itself up to the number one trending spot on Twitter.

Many people who I showed “Lights Up” to didn’t even realize who was singing it at first. “Sign of the Times” and its rock-ballad, Bowie-esque style counteracts “Lights Up” and it’s up-beat rhythm.  Nonetheless, the song still followed Styles’ trend of a more rock driven sound rather than the pop of his previous days in the boy-band One Direction.

The internet loved it and so did I. 

I have been a fan of Styles for eight years and part of the reason why I love “Lights Up” so much is because it acts as a roadmark for his growth as a person and an artist. He’s been known to be mysterious and private, but this light and upbeat tune gives him a more positive aspect. 

With lyrics like “Shine, I’m not ever going back. Shine, step into the light” this song shows an optimistic side of Styles that wasn’t shown in his debut album “Harry Styles.”  

“Harry Styles” the album came as a shock to the world who only knew Styles as the international popstar from the boyband “One Direction.”  It was clearly rock, there is no doubt about it. I found influences from The Beatles, David Bowie and many other artists that Styles has said he listened to when he was growing up. Despite “Lights Up” leaning more towards a pop sound, I can still hear these influences through the track.

Styles still hasn’t done any promotion for the song so everything about the track still remains a mystery. The specific lyrics such as “What do you mean? I’m sorry by the way. Never coming back down. Can’t you see? I could, but wouldn’t stay. Wouldn’t put it like that.” 

I am lead to believe this song is about a specific situation Styles has been through. But because of his tendency to never disclose the subject of a song, I probably won’t find out too much about the inspiration for “Lights Up.”

Nonetheless, the groovy tune and catchy lyrics keep me listening to the song on repeat. Although, I wish the track was longer than 2 minutes and 56 seconds. I am looking forward to the rest of the album and for some possible interviews to explain where this mysterious but upbeat tune came from.