Harry Styles vs. Michael Jackson for the King of Pop Title: Is This Really a Competition?

We like you Harry Styles, but we can't fathom that anyone would claim you are the new King of Pop.

Image: Getty Images Barry King / Contributor & Kevin Mazur / Contributor

Yesterday would have been Michael Jacksonโ€™s 64th birthday. Happy birthday genius. Last week, however old-ass Rolling Stone claimed Harry Styles carried the iconโ€™s title of the King of Pop. Harry Styles, we love you, but youโ€™re nowhere close to being the King, not for now. Hereโ€™s why

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Michael started singing at 5 years old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9U9A4_cgyI

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. He was only 5 years old when he first performed in front of an audience at a Parent Teacher Association gala. He was added to his brotherโ€™s band in 1965 . They were called the Jackson Five.

Harry Styles didnโ€™t start singing until age 14

Image: Other Screen grab from Thesun.co.uk

Harry Edward Styles was born on February 1, 1994 in Worcestershire, England to Anne Cox and Desmond Styles. Harry was a teenager, about 14 and nearly grown, when he became the lead singer of a band called White Eskimo. The band won his schoolโ€™s Battle of the Bands competition.

Debut single at 13 years old

Photo: Getty Images Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

Michael Jacksonโ€™s debut solo track was โ€œGot To Be There,โ€ released in 1971, with his debut album, Got To Be There, being released the next year when he was 13 years old.

Harry first failed as a solo artist at 16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_VssaTwwLY

Harry auditioned for X Factor in 2012 when he was 16. While on the show, he failed as a solo act. He was put together with a group of other boys who auditioned. With that, Simon Cowell formed One Direction. The group did not win the show that season but did come in third place.

One Direction

Photo: Getty Images Dave Hogan / Contributor

They were signed to Cowellโ€™s label, Syco Records. One Direction became one of the biggest boy bands with 5 studio albums from 2011-2015. Their debut album Up All Night debuted with the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 in 2012.

Harry Going Solo at 23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4ooNx77u0

After the departure of Zayn Malik from One Direction in 2015, the group decided to take a hiatus the next year. Harry signed with Columbia Records and released his debut single, โ€œSign of the Times,โ€ in 2017. The music video hit 1 billion views five years later in 2022. His debut album, Harry Styles, was released in 2017, snatching the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. He was 23.

Historic touring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdupEfDipmY

Michael Jacksonโ€™s Bad Tour was the second highest-grossing tour of the 1980s behind Pink Floydโ€™s Momentary Lapse of Reason tour.

Harryโ€™s Love on Tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8MlHTI7bUE

Harry Styles recently sold out all 42 dates of his 2022 leg of the Love on Tour. The tour was the second highest grossing show of 2021.

Michaelโ€™s dancing is unmatched

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw9NnI_LeNQ

Michael Jackson is undoubtedly one of the greatest entertainers of all time. His dance moves have been copied by other artists for years, but none are as smooth as the King. Although Harry Styles is quite fun on stage, his dancing is not something he is known for.

Grammy Awards

Photo: Getty Images Ron Galella, Ltd. / Contributor

Harry has some catching up to do in the Grammy department with 1 win and 3 nominations. Michael Jackson won 13 Grammys in his lifetime and 38 nominations. He also received the Grammy Legend Award in 1993 a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

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