Michael Jackson's Son Got a Lot to Say About Harry Styles Being Called King of Pop
Was it too much too soon?
If one says "king of pop", people generally assume one means Michael Jackson... or not anymore? It seems that there is another singer ready to claim the "throne", and this singer is Harry Styles – although not everyone is happy about it.
Among such people is Michael Jackson's son Prince, who seems to take issue with those who try to call Harry the king of pop, and not his late father.
Prince's disappointment comes on the heels of Rolling Stone magazine referring to Styles as the king of pop. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Michael Jackson's son conveyed his respect to Harry, but noted that the title is still too much for him.
"Harry has got his own genre and he's definitely an amazing artist, but the "King of Pop" was a moniker that really my dad earned," Prince told the hosts. "I do feel that my father is the King of Pop, will always be the King of Pop, and it's not something that you can ever take away, because we've just evolved so much as a society that those same factors will never be the same."
Prince added that his father's creative journey and "other people's" are just "night and day difference".
Harry Styles has begun his journey as an X Factor contestant who ended up in iconic boys band One Direction and later started his solo career. Jackson's career began in a band as well, as he started performing at age five as part of The Jackson 5 with his brothers.
For social media users, the issue is quite challenging: while some people believe that icons will be icons no matter what, others argue that times change, and so do kings.
"They give this title based on charts now not impact, it's sad," Twitter user doudousgagas noted.
Other fans pointed at how "stan culture means almost anyone can blow up now", and "while Harry is talented, the organic growth is amazing on Michael Jackson's part", especially when other Jackson's struggles like "race, health, controversies" also play a huge part.
But Harry Styles fans also arrived in Twitter threads to note that Styles himself has never claimed such a title, and he cannot be responsible for labels media puts on him.