#harry career

[hoovesandfloorpaws]

Louis' rocky path to his first album

..and how it might have been the reason/one of the reasons why Louis shared Always You with us the way that he did.

I don't want to saddle this amazing post about the Always You snippet and little scavenger hunt Louis took us on on Aug 24, 2017 with a too-long derail, so i'm gonna make this separate post. But please definitely read that post, too, it's so good! It'll make you shake your fist and go "LOUIS!!" (affectionately) 💙💚

-

This is for possible context re: him saying he was "pissed off about industry shit" and it resulting in him sharing the snippet in August 2017 and what long breath Louis had to have in order to finally get to release his debut solo album. Disclaimer: obviously there was much more going on in Louis' life during those 3 years - lots of yucky stunting that left Louis looking dead behind the eyes (esp. because on top of it he was also still grieving heavily), Harry releasing his first album, starring in his first Hollywood film, and going on worldwide tours. Louis obviously not being able to accompany him publicly to premieres or to all the shows - in combination it likely resulting in a lot more physical separation than they were ever used to, possible rough patches between them as a couple, Louis' sister unexpectedly passing away and the subsequent massive grief after already having lost his beloved Mum just 2.5 years prior, weekly appearances on TV with the giant asshole who iron-closeted him and his spider mouse ever since they were teenagers, a few public slip ups/outings from within their work circles, Harry turning into a horse on live radio despite being able to yell NO when he wanted to, Louis beaming with pride every single time he was asked about his Harry - and much more. His/their life is complex and busy and I'm only shining light on a couple of things here.

We know Louis had wanted to finally record his album in 2017 and release it in 2018. He said it again and again in his tweets and I personally don't think he was lying or stalling. (additionally, a plan for a 2018 album release + tour for 'a managed artist' was mentioned in a strategic report of the 1D company One Mode Productions Ltd., but by that point it was directed purely by 3 big players from Modest! Mgmt and that plan could've been BS from the start and could have still been an old remnant of the original plans Modest had for 1D after their hiatus; it never happened and the company was acquired by Universal Music in July 2020. Exact detail about that will be/are in my H&L companies masterpost)

In June 2017 Louis had been finally supposed to be signed with a new label under Sony, RSA...

(tweet)

...but then an exec from Epic Records campaigned to get Louis to them instead, because she had loved Just Hold On, so he signed with Epic in July 2017.

(tweet)

It needs to be said that the reason for Epic wanting to sign Louis based on that collab with Steve Aoki potentially meant they were hoping he was going to make more of that kind of music. -- which he never did, so he possibly also never wanted to in the first place (quite the recipe for disaster). And Louis was lagging behind to the public eye; he was the only member of 1D who hadn't released more than 1 single since the start of the hiatus. Zayn and Harry had already released an album by that point, Liam had had 2 pretty successful singles, and Niall had his first album set to be released in October that year. Louis being at a disadvantage wasn't his fault or within his control at all, though, with having lost his Mum 8 months prior. Syco and Sony faffing about with the record deals for him is certainly not something a grieving (and closeted & stunt-riddled) first-time solo musician needs when they just want to focus on finally releasing their first album and wanting to focus on that. During that time, it's especially essential to have a record label on board which understands and shares the same vision of the album, so concepts can be discussed, demos sent and given feedback on, timelines for PR and marketing coordinated, release dates planned, etc.

Within the same month, on July 21, 2017, Louis did release Back To You on via his own label, 78 Productions. (78 Productions Ltd. is also one of his companies) and Epic Records. Syco helped with promo in the UK. Back To You wasn't a first single of the album, though! Like with Just Hold On, Back To You's genre was vastly different from the albums Louis would later come to release, so it leads me to believe it was a fun filler project for him to work on with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals and vice versa, and to finally put out some music that year and also do a few live performances.

A month later, he tweeted this:

(tweet)

4 days later, Louis gets pissed off "about some music industry shit" and a day later, he tweets:

(tweet) - and this is when he drops the snippet of Always You right at the part with the "I went to Amsterdam without you, all I could do was think about you". part and he keeps dropping hint after hint and we figure it out 💙💚 - and ends up putting that song on his debut album.

(1 month later, Harry leaves to start his first ever solo world tour in San Francisco, USA on Sep 25, 2017)

Months pass and still no album single incoming.

On Oct 11, 2017, Louis announces his next single will be postponed, but also drops Just Like You out of the blue:

(tweet) / (tweet) - although Louis says the song is "from the album", Just Like You never ends up on his first 2 albums.

Months pass again.. the single he said would come "later this year" turns out to be Miss You, released on Dec 1, 2017. The song doesn't end up on the regular album, only appears as a bonus track on the Japanese Edition.

(On Dec 8, 2017, Harry finishes his world tour in Tokyo, Japan)

The year turns into 2018... and Louis seems to become increasingly more frustrated:

(tweet)

3 more months pass..

(Harry leaves to start his 2nd solo world tour in Basel, Switzerland on March 11, 2018)

Another month passes..

(tweet)

3 months later, and as a first step into a hopefully better direction, on July 19, 2018, it is announced that Louis has switched management and is now with Matt Vines from 7 Seven Management.

In July 2018 it's announced that Louis will appear on X-Factor as a judge that year.

(Coincidentally, Harry finishes his world tour on July 22, 2018 in New York City, USA)

Louis' X-Factor filming takes place (with breaks in between) from July 28 until Dec 2, 2018. (together with Simon Cowbell, so that must have been quite unpleasant at times, but Louis' contestant won! HA!)

Most importantly: no music at all gets released for Louis in all 2018!

(Harry leaves to start a very short tour in Singapore on Nov 23, 2018 and already finishes on Dec 7, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan)

The year turns into 2019...

And then fucking finally, in Feb 2019, it is announced that Louis has signed with Arista, who also belong to Sony. Louis can finally really start working on the album now!

On March 7, 2019, he releases Two Of Us - the first proper single of the upcoming album and a beautiful song he wrote for his Mum. But the joy doesn't last long -- sadly only 1 week later, on March 13, 2019, Louis' sister Félicité unexpectedly passes away and this completely throws life off its hinges again :( 🖤

(Harry plays only 2 shows on March 28 + 29, 2019 in New York City, USA, because he inducts beloved Stevie Nicks into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame - but he doesn't tour again until October; is also in the process of finishing the recording of his 2nd album, Fine Line)

4 months later, Louis tweets this:

(tweet)

Things finally go according to (an obviously existing) plan now and it's clear that there's a proper release schedule at work. The single and music video releases are firing on all cylinders. Starting from September, there's basically a new Louis release every month. There's concepts for all music videos, as they all tell a multiple-part continuous story. Kill My Mind is released on Sep 5, 2019 We Made It follows up on Oct 24, 2019 Don't Let It Break Your Heart on Nov 23, 2019 then there's the usual Christmas break (X-mas is mostly for album releases, case in point: Harry's Fine Line's released on Dec 13, 2019) Walls, the album title single, is released on Jan 17, 2020 -- 2 weeks before the album release.

When asked what's his favorite song on the album, he replies with this:

(tweet) And on Jan 31, 2020 Louis' finally gets to release his debut solo album Walls! 🙌🏼

3 years in the active making and a frustrating 2 years later than he'd hoped for.

Because within just 3 years, Simon tried/succeeded to sign Louis to three different Sony-owned record labels! Possibly also because Louis made it clear he was not going to release his album with Syco alone, but that's just speculation on me part. (I also need to mention that Simon had already sold 50% of his shares in Syco Music to Sony in July 2015, leaving him with only 20% and he never re-acquired them, meaning since 2015 Simon was already 75% out of the door back then. Guess what he already knew would happen since the beginning of 2015, hmmmm?)

Personal thoughts: To me, that’s all absolutely wild behaviour to treat an artist like that. Someone who's made you such a fuckton of money already, too. (because let's be honest, the money's all people like Simon Cowbell and his Modest! minions care about) Simon's never had an ounce of integrity or loyalty in his body. To treat an artist, who to the public he claimed he was 'so close' to like this and to then see him struggle and still try to manipulate or bribe him into your own plans (the girlband, the management company, the DOA Triple Strings label) instead of finally letting him pursue what he so clearly wanted.. it's classic and disgusting. From my own professional experience of 15 years as an artist & tour manager, it is not surprising to me that Louis wasn’t able to establish any consistency within his career for the first 4 years. (And we probably only know half of the contractual shit Louis has had to deal with.) You'd usually need at least good management that you trust, that's ready to take the brunt of forces, but also makes sure you don't make certain mistakes (again), and that's ready to work with & for you in this. Record labels come second, especially since it's become easier nowadays to release shit indie and it's not like Louis' (and Harry's) household didn't have some funds-- but yeah, proper management is key! They're the junction where everything leads together. I have no idea what the James Grant Group thought they were doing with Louis, but it was complete weak sauce.

And although I'm also not a fan of Matt Vines and 7 Seven Management, they're definitely some kind of improvement. I understand Louis in preferring to work with people he's become close with and who he's already trusting, rather than taking the risk and choosing someone new - especially given Louis' very awful prior experiences with management. I hope Matt Vines steps up his game in the future, but from what I have learned in the past months, sadly I don't think 7 Seven Management have a good grasp on Louis' target group and fanbase and I'm not sure how much use they're making of proper market research. For an artist of Louis' caliber, they're doing too little.

Anyway, back to Syco, I think nobody is surprised that Louis had enough of it 1.5 years after Walls was released and finally ended things with Syco on July 11, 2020.

Now I want to end on saying that i'm only speculating something about his own record label / album delaying situation could've been the reason for him being pissed off. It also could've been something to do with the music industry in itself, something to do with Harry and him, something closeting- or stunt-related. I mean he did release a snippet of a song that's obviously about Harry and him. But he also released a snippet of a song that was supposed to be on his album. So yeah, the reason could've been a mix of both.

But even though we can't say that for sure, it was valid as hell that he was pissed. And he got to share the Always You snippet with us for it, such an incredibly special song; so clearly about Harry & him and he didn't give a fuck that night. And I think that's beautiful.

[cartoon-goon02]

cuno growth spurt

[beachf4gz]

this is who you become if you pursue employment or higher education as an autistic person

[relaxedstyles]

[pato-roldnart]

I did a little something for @hd-fan-fair 😊😊 I hope you all like pet sitter Harry and wildlife illustrator Draco!!!

Special thanks to @bubble-gumhead, @orange-peony and @avenueofesc for encouraging me to participate, you guys are the best 💕💕💕

Based on this prompt: Draco has received news of a rare magical creature sighting and has been called in to illustrate the animal and it’s natural habitat/den. Only problem is: he can’t find anyone to pet sit his beloved animals and seeks outsider help by hiring a pet sitter through a wizarding company. Enter: Harry James Potter, pet sitter extraordinaire and living his best life hanging out with animals all over Britain, enjoying the vast and interesting towns and houses he finds himself in. Draco, loves his animals so much and asks to have regular contact through letters.

Letter's text after the cut

Dear Potter, I am writing to ask for your help again to take care of my pets. Unfortunately for me, they seem to have grown on you and they have been misbehaving with any other pet sitter. I have no idea why they speak fondly of you and find you so charming. Nevertheless, I was pleased to see that they were in good hands last time.

I hope you have a good rest and enough energy since the next seventy-two hours you will be dealing with their curious, mischievous, and overly friendly nature. Until next time, D. M.

[fookinhellcurlyyy]

What are your thoughts on the theory that harry is leaving the Azoffs? Personally, I don't think he is leaving them because he seems to be good friends with Jeff, but I don't know. Things are weird lately.

Also, do you think he is leaving Columbia/Sony? There's no announcement of a renewal, but he was seen with Strnger last year. They seem to get along.

Hi, Anon!

Before I answer, I just wanna say that I’m still not as well-versed as others when it comes to contracts, so my points are based on what’s been discussed so far and what I personally agree with.

I don't know for sure, but I do think it’s kinda sus that H's name keeps popping up and being falsely used—twice already this year, with both FireAid and The Sphere (like Gina @twopoppies mentioned recently).

And another curious thing would be a certain discussion brought up in a group chat I am included in, and it was right after The Sphere denial news broke out. It was pointed out that in Variety500's update last December 18, 2024, neither Jeff Az*ff nor Irving Az*ff's profile mentioned H, and vice versa. That made me curious, though I wasn't able to pay attention much because of all the content we've gotten for the past week at least lol

Anyway, I started digging tonight after I saw your anon message (I wanted to collect my thoughts as much as possible and be coherent despite knowing little), to see if maybe they never really mentioned each other in past updates anyway—and maybe, it really doesn't mean anything.

Here's a breakdown of what I found (focusing on H and Jeff):

Harry — 2022, 2023, and 2024 Variety500 Honoree

I couldn't find H's 2023 profile, but his both 2022 and 2024, no label/management were mentioned.

Jeff — 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 Variety500 Honoree

For Jeff, H was mentioned in 2021 (his roster of music stars including H), 2022 (H's MSG permanent banner), and 2023 (speculations of his 'flagship artist' - H - possibly doing a residency at The Sphere in the future, which popped up again this year).

I think what made it more curious is that in Jeff's 2024 profile, there was a part that says "Jeffrey Azoff works with many of the company’s artists, including Lizzo, the Eagles, John Mayer and Jon Bon Jovi and U2." It could just be because he wasn’t as active last year and wasn’t considered “mention-worthy” for the profile this time around? Not sure. Either way, I found it very curious because H’s influence and visibility remained strong, even while he was on a well-deserved break. I didn't want to think much of it at first, but the more I sat with it, the more interesting it seemed—again, very curious.

I was debating if this is worth mentioning at this point but maybe it's good to share it anyway to get other people's opinion? I also asked Paz @hoovesandfloorpaws about it since they've been building a career/business masterpost and might be able to provide insights. 🥹

It might be nothing tbh. But saving all of these here anyway! 😂

And I think, even if H decides (or has already decided) not to renew his contract, that doesn’t necessarily mean we'd completely see the Az*ffs or the Str*ngers out of his life—especially since the music industry is such an interwoven web of personalities. And he might make different career moves but remain friends or at least be on decent terms with Jeff, imo.

[shortiepinocco]

and he was bullied to the end of his life.

NO.

he's bullied even after he passed 💔

[hd-fan-fair]

H/D MUGGLE FAIR 2024 MASTERLIST & REVEALS!

What an incredible fair we had this year! Events like this don’t come together on their own, so the mods would like to take a moment to express our gratitude:

♥ To our amazing authors and artists: Thank you for joining us for the 2024 fair! Your incredible talent and creativity are what made the event so special. This fair wouldn’t have been possible without you.

♥ To our readers and viewers: Thank you for taking the time to enjoy, comment, and show love to the works. Every single kudo and comment meant so much, and we’re so grateful for your support.

♥ To everyone who participated in the Fair Cup: You were fantastic! Your enthusiasm, dedication to reading, commenting, and rooting for your team made the experience so much fun.

♥ To those who shared their favorite stories and artworks through recommendations: We deeply appreciate your efforts to highlight amazing creations!

♥ To all the beta readers and cheerleaders who supported our participants: You’re incredible, and your encouragement made a big difference.

Let’s all give ourselves a well-deserved round of applause! And now, it’s time for the reveals!

With love, phoenixacid & sassy_cissa

Art 1. Elizah123 drew Drawn Together (Digital Art, Teen) 2. Digthewriter drew Smart Meets Snark (Digital Art, General) 3. RatKingPoe drew Tangled Tension Twister (Digital Art, Teen) 4. ItsPhantasmagoria drew To the Faire! (Digital Art, General) 5. petitanzu drew From Dusk til Dawn (Digital Art, General) 6. Black_cat16 drew Surprises in The Elevator (Digital Art, General) 7. digthewriter drew Breakthrough The Barriers (Digital Art, General) Art & Fic 8. Jaykray drew and wrote At a Glance (3k, Digital Art, General) 9. Rainjuly drew and wrote Starry, Silver Anchor (19k, Digital Art, Mature) 10. Squibnation10 drew and wrote Our Dream (18k, Digital Art, Mature) 11. Its-the-allure wrote Come As You Are (35k, Digital Art, Explicit)

Fic 12. xErised wrote Meet Me At Midnight (16k, Explicit) 13. Sita_Z wrote Five Times Draco Malfoy Used Muggle Things Incorrectly (and One Time He Didn’t) (9k, Teen) 14. DayDreamingFoxglove wrote Eating Away (3k, Explicit) 15. harDeehar wrote But Don't Miss (15k, Explicit) 16. skotini wrote In the Fight for Someone's Heart, the Best Armour is Armani (14k, Mature) 17. annanotherthing wrote Of All The Things You Could Be (Convenient Has Never Been One Of Them) (10k, Explicit) 18. slantindicular wrote Spellbound (23k, Mature) 19. Gnarf wrote Draco Malfoy is everywhere and Harry needs a break (3k, Mature) 20. Romaine wrote What Doesn't Happen in Venice Stays In ... (13k, Explicit) 21. meandminniemcg wrote My Father Won't Hear about This (5k, Teen) 22. Kaymardsa wrote Change the Ending (54k, Explicit) 23. DodgerKedavra wrote Each According to Its Kind (10k, Explicit) 24. Fool_Of_Took wrote (sex) Toys are a Guy's Best Friend (4k, Explicit) 25. luminae wrote taken for another spin (3k, General) 26. rei382 wrote Invaluable (33k, Explicit) 27. BelladonnaLee wrote Angelfish in the Bottle (29k, Teen) 28. maraudersaffair wrote Hurt Him and You Die (21k, Explicit) 29. bahkeks wrote Living Without (9k, Explicit) 30. DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes wrote Losing Count (4k, Explicit) 31. bluedahlia912 wrote Of All the Cities in All the World (11k, General) 32. Trishjames wrote Netflix and Chills (20k, Explicit) 33. Tigersilver wrote Third Wheel (17k, Teen) 34. sassy_cissa wrote There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact. (34k, Explicit)

Podfic 35. Aulophobia read To have a Home (14 hours 45 minutes, Explicit) 36. Cailynwrites read A Game of Two Halves (2.5 Hours, Mature) in chronological order

[1tbls]

once again. matt berry as harry du bois. look at him.

[tomorrowusa]

John Oliver's closing message before Election Day. It's the last couple of minutes of the segment from Sunday.

He reminds us that if Trump loses, that's it for Trump. Consider that for a moment. With a Kamala Harris victory, we can echo the words of President Gerald Ford and proclaim: "Our long national nightmare is over."

So if anybody needs an incentive to get one more voter to choose Kamala before polls close on Tuesday, conjure a realistic vision of Trump's involuntary retirement and your necessary role in making it happen.

NOTE: You can watch the entire 14:27 John Oliver clip here.

[twopoppies]

once again they are making h look like a narcissistic jerk and i hate this so much for him! his team is making him look so bad. he deserves so much better

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14434001/amp/Reason-One-Direction-NEVER-reunite-revealed.html

I know everyone is all upset about this, and I agree it’s not how I would have chosen to word the statement, but it’s honestly true.

Now isn’t the time for a 1D reunion. Not for any of them. Fans should know how hard it’s been for them to find any sort of legitimacy as solo performers and to shake off the “boyband stigma.”

I think the problem here is that Harry has so often been painted as the villain, and he’s so often held up as the marker of success and pitted against the others, that it makes people angry at him. And then they read something like this and twist it to mean Harry hates the band, Harry thinks he’s better than everyone else, Harry is selfish, etc etc.

But really, all the article says is he’s worked really hard to get where he’s at, now isn’t the right time to take a step back, he’s currently taking some time off, and he wouldn’t want to do something only for the money because it would affect the big picture goals he has.

What’s wrong with that? If any of the others said it, no one would be upset. But the Daily Mail is shit and they need controversy to get people to click on their idiotic articles, Harry is low-hanging fruit.

A music insider told The Sun: 'Thousands of hours of blood, sweat and tears have gone into making Harry a superstar and he has spent a decade getting to a place of respect and legitimacy in the music business.

'He has won awards and hit new heights away from the band. Some people believe any return would have to feel like the right moment - and that doesn't feel like it is going to be any time in the immediate future.

'Recently he has taken a step back from the limelight and has been taking a break after putting out records and touring for the past five years.

'Reunions can often be seen as a cash grab too. It would just look like he has lost faith in his solo career if he bowed out to do something which he knows will be an easy earner in the short term.'

[drarry-reccage]

Ten Visits to Fire and Flight: The World of Dragons by SanderVanSunshine (17k, E)

Tags: Kidfic, Pining!Draco, Oblivious!Harry, DRAGONS

Draco spots him quickly, as always, his whole body so fine-tuned to clocking Potter’s every move that he would have sensed his arrival even without seeing the familiar disaster of dark curls in the doorway. He would have felt something halfway between a tickle and an itch on his skin, or the shift in the air that thickened his breath, or the seismic wave of magic sweeping through the museum. At first, Draco looks for somewhere to hide, wondering if he has time to sneak off to the nearest staff-only corridor before he’s spotted. But before he can even move, Potter catches his eye, and Draco’s stuck. It’s not that he doesn’t want to see or spend time with Potter. He’d even venture to say that they’re nearly friends these days, sometimes grabbing drinks after pick-up Quidditch practices and matches twice a week. But honestly, that’s sort of the problem: he does want to see Potter. He wants to see him far too much. And it would be so easy to tell him to fuck off, to take his gorgeous arse elsewhere to go—to go save something, or whatever Potter’s doing these days (well, actually, Draco knows what Potter does these days, and mostly it’s co-hosting The Harry and Lee Show with Lee Jordan each morning on the radio, which means fuckall in the afternoon). But Draco can’t tell him that, or anything rude at all, because Potter doesn’t come to the museum alone. Potter brings children, the sweet bastard.

(rec by @cailynwrites)

[beachf4gz]

pre-expression

i wanted to draw harry in his early 20s, idk how accurate it would have been but i thought it would make sense if he had long hair considering the style. when i finished what i had done so far i realised i hadnt really referenced an image for his face so i hope it still looks like him lol

[daisiesonafield-blog]

🚨 rumor alert 🚨

Is this the alleged final nail on the coffin of Harry’s Marvel career? 👀

[all-these-larrythings]

A Frail Farewell (45K) by Rearviewdreamer

Louis can’t believe his luck when he is offered one of the easiest jobs he has had as a long-term house-sitter for the wealthy. He loves the money, and the peace and quiet of the empty mansions he looks after. Most of all he likes that there are no surprises until he gets the shock of his life from ex-pop star Harry Styles who isn’t supposed to be home.

[jxurnes]

i feel like a trophy wife. penny's doing all the work and im just sitting there. cursebreaker who?