Harry Styles fans are buzzing with excitement as speculation grows around a potential new music release next week, coinciding with a notable shuffle in album drop dates from other artists.

Since the debut of his acclaimed album, Harry’s House, in May 2022, followers of Harry Styles have been on the lookout for signs of new music. Recently, a rumor surfaced suggesting that a new release could be coming on October 18, and while it initially seemed far-fetched, developments from fellow musicians and Saturday Night Live have reignited interest.

Last month, SNL revealed its lineup for the first episodes of its 50th season; notably, the week of October 26 was left without a show. This led to speculation on social media, particularly from one fan on X (formerly Twitter), who pointed out, “So there’s still a gap on October 26 right??? AND people are talking about October 18… walk with me.” This tweet suggested the possibility of Harry appearing on the show following a new music release.

Despite the excitement, another user on X clarified that the October 26 absence is merely part of SNL‘s annual fall break, stating, “It’s a fall break :/ every year a fandom tries to clown.” Nevertheless, fans remain undeterred, pointing to other artists’ recent announcements as further evidence of a looming release.

On Thursday, Shawn Mendes announced via his Instagram Story that he is postponing the release of his album, Shawn, which was originally set for October 18, moving it to November 15. “We just need a little bit more time to bring some new inspiration and ideas to life,” he expressed to his followers, thanking them for their patience.

Similarly, Joe Jonas was also scheduled to launch his solo project, Music for People Who Believe In Love, on the same day but indicated on Instagram that it too would be pushed back. Joe cited an overflow of inspiration and the desire to add some final touches as the reasons for the delay.

Fans on social media are beginning to connect the dots, with one writing, “*laughs nervously* hahahaha what’s happening October 18,” and another highlighting the peculiarity of two artists postponing albums that were both set for release on that date for what appear to be creative reasons.

In a playful exchange, another user quipped, “Shawn delaying his album which is fully finished atp so like the only reason to delay it is if another bigger artist was putting out music and guess what the og release date was…10/18…HS4 AT MIDNIGHT PEOPLE.”

Conversely, some theorize that another major artist may be planning a release on the same day. “Y’all are so dumb obviously rep tv is coming,” one commenter teased, referring to the much-anticipated re-release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift.