Unlike a lot of other men in pop, Styles’ willingness to indulge in fan service — and laugh at it — is what makes him such an effective star.

Columbia Pictures / Via YouTube Harry Styles in his new music video for "Adore You."

In the opening monologue for his recent SNL hosting gig, One Directioner–turned–retro rock star Harry Styles mocked his own pop stardom. "I'm a very serious musician,” he explained, strolling over to a piano, wearing a revealing open-necked shirt and (characteristically bright) yellow pants. “And nothing says serious musician like talking while playing the piano.” As he played, Harry joked about being grown in a test tube by pop kingmaker Simon Cowell, emphasized the importance of fantastic hair, and punctuated the monologue by standing up to swivel his hips while giving jazz hands. Styles’ appearance was promoting the forthcoming release of his sophomore album, Fine Line, dropping December 13. His winking self-awareness about the narratives swirling around him speak more broadly to why he was picked to be SNL host in the first place, and why he has emerged as one of the most attention-getting boy banders gone solo. Initially, it seemed like it was Zayn Malik’s sexy sadness that might go the distance. His first single “Pillowtalk” — which quickly zoomed to No. 1 — was a bigger hit than any Styles song so far. Other former boy banders have had more success so far, too, including unpretentiously dorky (and tastefully queerbaiting) Nick Jonas, whose career-launching signature hit “Jealous” had more legs and ultimately made a bigger musical impact than any singles from Styles’ debut album. But it’s Styles who keeps making news. Since going solo, he’s garnered two Rolling Stone covers, was selected as a cohost for the “camp"-themed Met Gala earlier this year, introduced Stevie Nicks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and most recently, hosted — rather than just musical guesting — on SNL, a double-duty honor most recently bestowed on stars like Justin Timberlake and Chance the Rapper. Styles even galvanizes Stan Twitter so much that this summer, savvy K-pop fans made “Harry Styles going to jail” a trending topic as a way of redirecting attention to their own videos. Today, with the release of “Adore You,” the third and last single dropping before his album release, Styles has already sent stans down a rabbit hole in search of clues about lyrical meanings and the contents of the forthcoming record. Love him or hate him, Styles’ ability to make waves beyond just music or hit singles isn’t an accident. Rather, Styles has cultivated stardom and standom on par with the savviest of pop divas. While most of the contemporary men of pop seem to shy away from pop gamesmanship — like crafting social media narratives around their identities or relationships — Styles’ willingness to play the game (and laugh at it) has helped him stand out.

Handout / Helene Marie Pambrun via Getty I Styles performs during his European tour at AccorHotels Arena on March 13, 2018, in Paris.

There are plenty of male pop stars who, in the past couple of years, have achieved major musical success and chart hits. There’s Drake (if he accepts the title), Bruno Mars, the Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, and Shawn Mendes, to name a few. But they’ve all been relatively boring in terms of showmanship and social media–friendly narrative-building. For the most part, these men either take themselves too seriously to interact with a clamoring stan base, or think they’re above it all, playing it safe image-wise. Post Malone, for instance, seamlessly pivoted from rap to pop with his No. 1 hit “Circles,” but it didn’t really become a memeable cultural event because he provided no overarching story for the musical pivot. Similarly, Mendes recently got his first No. 1 hit, “Senorita,” a Latinx pop trend-chasing blip in his otherwise mainstream pop rock trajectory. The success of his debut with Camila Cabello was aided by the tabloid speculation over his relationship with the singer, and the song seemed more like a sequel to “Havana” than part of some ongoing narrative about his persona. (Sheeran similarly recently released a Latinx pop duet, “South of the Border,” with Cabello and Cardi B.) As a former boy bander, Styles arguably started in a different lane, with a huge built-in fanbase — the Harries — that had been fascinated with his persona from the start, famously shipping him with fellow bandmate Louis Tomlinson. And to some degree, any initial release of an album or single by a former One Direction member was going to be hugely newsworthy. But not all former One Directioners have taken the same tack when it comes to encouraging old fans to follow along with the new. Malik, for instance, didn’t really like being a pop star — he wanted to veer into R&B — and told magazines after he left that he didn’t like the band’s music. “That’s not music I would listen to,” he told the Fader. “Would you listen to One Direction at a party with your girl? I wouldn’t.” But more importantly, he seemed disenchanted with the compromises he’d been required to make as a cog in the pop machine.

That’s a key to understanding Styles’ appeal and success: He actually enjoys the business of being a pop star and acknowledging fan expectations, even if just to subvert them.

Columbia Pictures The album art for Fine Line.

None of this is new, of course. David Bowie famously teased his supposed bisexuality — even as he only publicly dated women — to keep the public in a guessing game. He later backed away from claiming the identity, but it cemented his image as a kind of sexually gender-fluid outsider. (It also seems to have helped the public overlook his anti-gay remarks and helped avoid a reckoning with reports about his obsession with underage girls.)

What’s new — for the social media generation anyway — is for a guy pop star to use these strategies, and to make it all appear authentic in the process.