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British fans of singer Harry Styles are calling him out over a lyric change in his hit song "As It Was" from his critically acclaimed album Harry's House that has highlighted their concerns he spends more time in the United States than in the United Kingdom, his home country.
Styles has been traveling around the world for his "Love On Tour" series of concerts that began in 2021 and are slated to end later this year.
During his performances, the bridge of "As It Was"—which includes the line "Leave America, two kids follow her"—appeared to have been changed to "never leave America," which has been a point of contention for his U.K. fans who now feel they have to "humble" him into remembering where he came from.
This "betrayal" became more pronounced after fans debated whether Styles had said "I'm staying" after the line during a performance at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California.
You can hear the lyric change in the video below.
@idtpwk Lmfao he’s a shit stirrer like me #idtpwk
The purported lyric change though has troubled British fans for some time, and multiple videos from Styles' U.K. performances show fans screaming “leave America” to drive home their point that he spends more time in the United States over his home country.
@goodiesbyjenny LEAVE AMERICA #harrystyles #fyp #asitwas #austin #hslotaustin #hslotaustinn2 #loveontour #Hslot
You can see that American fans have the opposite reaction when Styles sings "leave America" during his performances—they typically go silent.
@riyashouse PLS @_sassyrry_ THIS VIDEO IS SO FUNNY. “LEA👹-” #harrystyles #asitwas #hslot #loveontour
Sure, at least a couple of fans out there find the whole thing rather funny.
\u201cThe way Harry Styles audiences across Europe and the UK *screamed* \u201cLeave America\u201d with such force it could be heard blocks away from the stadiums, and the American audiences are going \ud83e\udee2\ud83e\udd2b\ud83e\udd10 during that bit is soooo funny\u201d— Brodie Lancaster (@Brodie Lancaster) 1661377021
\u201cWhen @Harry_Styles original lyric is \u201cleave America\u201d and the UK thrives on it, but sings ONCE \u201cnever leave America\u201d and it causes a riot. Meanwhile, it made me the happiest. In fact\u2026\nMe:\u201d— hail \ud83c\udf19 (@hail \ud83c\udf19) 1675268770
But the "betrayal" is real for U.K. fans who've gone as far as to publish TikTok videos in which they express their displeasure with the singer's perceived allegiance to the U.S.
Consider, for instance, the following video, in which one fan jokes that she is selling two tickets to Styles' upcoming performance at London's Wembley Stadium "on the grounds of betrayal from our own kind.”
@kiwisdefence this is joke dont get pressed x #harrystyles #loveontour #harryshouse #betrayed #fineline #hslot #hslot23 #hslot22 #fyp #viral
Others are simply venting online.
\u201cyou betrayed me, harry styles.\nleave america.\u201d— lindinha. harry\u2019s bday!\ud83d\udc99 (@lindinha. harry\u2019s bday!\ud83d\udc99) 1675103531
\u201charry styles has some nerve pulling that leave america as if americans need any more encouragement \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— sieglinde \u2728 (@sieglinde \u2728) 1675189637
\u201ccan\u2019t believe that video of harry styles saying never leave america he is so embarrassing\u201d— ellie \u2661\u22c6.\u0cc3\u0fd4* (@ellie \u2661\u22c6.\u0cc3\u0fd4*) 1675164068
\u201cthat leave america thing got out of hand I'm so serious harry styles\u201d— cel\u00b2\u2078 HARRY DAY | fitf (@cel\u00b2\u2078 HARRY DAY | fitf) 1675075391
Styles has indeed seen great success abroad, winning multiple awards.
These awards include the coveted Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance, which he received for his song "Watermelon Sugar" from his album Fine Line, which put him on the map as a serious pop star after years of being largely associated with his breakout as one of the teen stars of the boy band One Direction.
Styles has since branched out into acting and had a high-profile role in the polarizing Don't Worry Darling, which was largely besieged by production troubles which revolved, at least in part, around his short-lived relationship with director Olivia Wilde and her highly publicized divorce proceedings.