Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock; Courtesy of Molly Hawkins/Instagram
Harry Styles’ Creative Director Molly Hawkins Is 1 of His Closest Friends — Get to Know Her
Is that a music video you’re shooting? One Direction alum Harry Styles was spotted enjoying some downtime at a villa on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, as well as filming what fans suspect is the visual for his song, “Golden,” on Tuesday, September 22. Photographed by his side was his trusty creative director, Molly Hawkins, who is the brains behind the singer’s public image and visuals for his first two albums, Harry Styles and Fine Line. But who, exactly, is the former DJ and what did she do before she linked up with Harry? Here’s what we know.
Molly Started Her Career as a Band Manager
The music industry pro, 35, started out as a manager for the band Chairlift in 2007. Following that gig, she became the creative director for Young Turks, an indie record label in London. She has since worked as creative director for alt-electro group The xx and singer Kelsey Lu.
“The xx, Harry, Lu — they are all in control,” Molly told Billboard in February 2020. “There are so many dudes in this industry who just want to be like, ‘Well, basically I’m a genius.’ But I wouldn’t be s—t without [the artists].”
Molly Met Harry After Hearing Unreleased Music
Nine months before Harry’s self-titled debut album was released in May 2017, one of his producers played samples of unreleased tracks from the record at a party. Molly was there and was impressed with what she heard — so she texted the musician’s manager, Jeffrey Azoff, to try to link up.
“I texted Jeffrey Azoff, [Harry’s] manager, who I knew from a previous client,” she explained to Billboard. “I was like, ‘Dude, let me meet Harry. I think we could do something really special.’”
Molly Is Responsible for Harry’s Album Aesthetics
According to the album inserts on Harry’s 2017 and 2019 full-length releases, Molly was creative director for both albums — which means she is responsible for crafting the overall aesthetic of each record. Not only does that mean acting as creative lead for photo shoots and promotional materials, but also tour aesthetics and visuals.
It seems one of her main influences for Harry’s album vibes is romanticism. “When I think about seeing Harry live as a fan, I try to remember how I felt about Leonardo DiCaprio when I was 13,” she told Billboard. “And how as a young woman it was f—king awesome to see a man that was so romantic and unabashed.”
