Tony Visconti has responded to suggestions that Harry Styles is the new David Bowie, putting an end to claims that the former One Direction star is worthy of the comparison.
The American producer, who is known for collaborating with Bowie throughout his life, shared on Facebook this morning (February 6) his opinion about the 65th Grammy Awards, which were held yesterday (February 5) in Los Angeles.
“What is the difference between the Grammys and Las Vegas? Nothing! “, he wrote as a statement.
He then shared his take on Styles, who won Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for his solo album ‘Harry’s House’ and also performed his single ‘As It Was’ live.
“Did someone tell me Harry Styles is the new Bowie?” Visconti added his own comments. “From what I’ve seen tonight, he’s not worth shining in his place.”
Visconti’s relationship with Bowie spanned nearly 50 years, first collaborating on “Space Oddity” in 1969 and working on and off on a total of 10 albums until the release of the final album “Blackstar,” two days before the death of the famous musician in January of 2016.
Visconti’s followers agreed in the comments, with one writing: “There will never be anyone who is NOT the new David Bowie, he is in a class of his own, he will always be one of a kind.”
Another said: “Thank you thank you thank you Tony for saying what so many of us are thinking.”
One added that they heard the same comparison when Styles’ self-titled debut solo album was released in 2017 and “immediately said ‘nope.’ Bowie was unique and irreplaceable.
And they continued: “That being said, as a father of a teenage girl, I respect Harry. He encouraged my daughter to play music.”
Earlier this year, Visconti recalled a previously unpublished story about a “goosebumps” moment she experienced while recording Bowie’s “Weeping Wall.”
Last year he also embarked on a UK tour entitled “Tony Visconti: The Best of Bowie”, where his band performed hits from Bowie’s catalogue.
Meanwhile, Styles (album of the year), Lizzo (record of the year), Bonnie Raitt (song of the year) and Samara Joy (best new artist) were awarded the four major Grammy awards.
You can check out the full list of winners here, and highlights from the 2023 awards here.
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