Harry Styles Makes Epic Return to Instagram After Being Away for One Year

Harry Styles has officially returned to Instagram after more than a year away from the social media platform, splashing back onto the scene with brand new music. On Thursday, Oct. 10, the former One Direction member riled up fans when he shared a photo of himself wearing all blue with a cross dangling from his neck, an image from his new single "Lights Up."

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A post shared by @harrystyles on Oct 10, 2019 at 8:02pm PDT

Styles' long-awaited return sent his more than 24 million Instagram followers into a frenzy.

"Been waiting for this," one person wrote.

"HES BACK!!!" wrote another.

"He's back and better than ever," commented a fourth.

"Instagram was a sad place without you," another pointed out, with a sixth rejoicing that he "FINALLY POSTED."

Several others correctly guessed that the comeback hinted at "new music" that would be released shortly after.

Prior to that Thursday posting, Styles' last post had been dated July 16, 2018. In the post, he had documented the conclusion of his debut concert tour.

"Kissy. Thank you for coming out to see us, it has been a pleasure playing for you all. I'm off to write some more music and I hope I'll be seeing you again very soon," he wrote. "Thank you to my band, the crew, and all of you for making this tour so wonderful. Treat people with kindness. Goodbye for now. I love you all. H."

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A post shared by @harrystyles on Jul 16, 2018 at 12:43pm PDT

While refraining from posting, Styles did make a brief Instagram comeback in January, when eagle-eyed fans noticed that he had followed fellow singer Ariana Grande, prompting speculation that Styles would not only be releasing new music, but collaborating with the "Thank U, Next" singer.

Currently it remains unclear if that theory could be true. Styles' new song, "Lights Up," which he teased with two other Instagram posts Thursday night, marks his first in two years and is believed to be from his upcoming unnamed album.

In a September Rolling Stone profile the 25-year-old teased that the album would be all about "having sex and feeling sad," stating that it would be his "toughest" and "most soulful yet."