British megastar and pop singer Harry Styles announced Wednesday that Madison will be one of 40 cities globally to host a listening party of his new album “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.”
The album, Styles’ fourth as a solo artist, is set to be released on March 6.
Styles is best known as a member of the U.K. boy band One Direction. The group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 and Styles began releasing solo work in 2017. He’s recorded hit songs like “Sign of the Times,” “As It Was” and “Watermelon Sugar.”
Fans can enter a contest to win tickets to the listening party. Be ready to answer the question “What do you think listening to the album will feel like?” (This reporter said, “Like wading through a current of soft, colorful waves”) and get a chance to listen to the entire album. Winners will be announced on Feb. 16.
Here’s what we know so far:
Why Madison?
Madison is among 40 cities selected to host listening parties, and is one of just two U.S. cities on the list (the other is Los Angeles). Fans took to Reddit and X to ask why.
Harry Styles presented the album of the year award to Bad Bunny during the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Styles and Bad Bunny both have Wisconsin ties: Styles is a Green Bay Packers fan, and Bad Bunny tapped a UW-Madison professor to help give historical context to his album, "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS."
Styles himself has not responded to those inquiries, but he is a well-known Green Bay Packers fan. He even has a Packers tattoo on his right arm. He explained in a 2020 NPR interview after his Tiny Desk Concert that he got into the team through a friend in L.A. who is from Appleton.
They’d play the video game Madden NFL, and Styles said he “always played as the Green Bay Packers." He also noted that they’re the only NFL team owned by the fans.
Before revealing that, he joked that “when I was about 6 years old, I fell off my bike and I cut my knee, and I bled green and gold.”
When is the listening party?
Dates have not been announced, but the contest’s official rules say that the Madison listening party will be on Feb. 18. Fifty entrants will win two tickets to the listening party.
Where is it?
There’s been no announcement as to where the listening party will take place. Potential venues would have to be big enough to host 100 people for a dance party. Artists generally host listening parties at record stores.
How do I sign up?
Sign up by visiting webelongtogether.co. And if you get a ticket, we want to hear about it! Reach out to us at adrodriguez@captimes.com.
