Harry Styles has been a major influence on my life since childhood. Like most girls who grew up in the early 2010s, I was a devoted Directioner, and I dedicated a large part of my Tumblr blog to them. I was devastated when Zayn left the band, even more so when the band announced a hiatus, and never came back. As part of my capstone project in my senior year of high school, I wrote a 25-page paper about One Direction and “fangirl” culture, then got matching 1D tattoos with my

Gorillaz co-creators, Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, traveled to India to rekindle their creativity, but they found themselves searching for meaning through grief. Within ten days, both men lost their fathers. The Mountain reflects the climb through loss, chaos, and struggle, up to enlightenment. Released February 27, 2026, The Mountain is the ninth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz.