Sign of the times: Harry Styles sets record with 12-night Wembley run

LONDON: British pop superstar set a new record when he wrapped up his sold-out 12-night residency at London’s Wembley stadium on a high. He “has broken the record for longest residency by a musician at Wembley Stadium… with his shows at the iconic UK venue,” the Guinness World Records said on Monday. Styles, who shot to fame with the band One Direction, began his London tour on June 12 to mark the release of his fourth solo album “Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.” Guinness adjudicator Will Munford said the “record-breaking 12-date run is a testament to the scale, ambition and cultural impact of his live performances, as well as the incredible connection he has with his fans”. The Wembley dates ended on an emotional note for the “Watermelon Sugar” singer on Saturday when he paid tribute to his former One Direction band members – Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and the late Liam Payne. The London run has flooded social networks with videos of Styles dancing and singing - opting to wear a range of colourful, tailored shorts as a UK heatwave hit last month. His mother, Anne Twist, praised his “sunshine personality, and his beautiful soul” in a post on Instagram in Monday. Read More: Matt Damon calls ‘The Odyssey’ the most challenging film of his career “How could I have possibly known… that he would break records doing exactly what he was put in this world to do, that he would grow up being the kind of man the world needs right now.” Styles, who launched his solo career with the hit song “Sign of the Times” in 2017, also brought his older sister, Gemma, onto the stage on the last night. Praising the “incredible community” he had formed around him, she told him she was “proud of who you are and the impact you have made on so many”. She said in a post later on Instagram that speaking onstage to 80,000 people “my legs were like jelly and I had to keep pausing to breathe.” Styles’s “Together, Together” tour launched in Amsterdam in May, and now heads for Sao Paulo and Mexico City. He will play 30 nights from August 21 to October 31 at New York’s Madison Square Gardens – where his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift was married at the weekend. The tour will end in Australia on December 13.