More Than One Direction

On June 28, 2010, a 16 year-old boy from Mullingar walked onto the infamous X Factor stage in the hopes of landing his big break. When asked by Louis Walsh why he was auditioning, he said, “I’m here to be the best artist I can be”. Elliott Salmon shares how that is exactly what Niall Horan has done.

For chart-conquering, award-winning musician Niall Horan, it wasn’t smooth sailing from the very beginning. His “upbeat, ready-to-fill arenas around the world” demeanour sparked criticism from judges who felt that he was not quite built for the music industry. But his charming personality, combined with Louis Walsh and Simon Cowell’s willingness to take a chance on him, ultimately landed him a spot in the notorious X Factor boot camp.

From there, he went on to form One Direction alongside fellow contestants Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Liam Payne and, after coming third in the competition series, they quickly became one of the biggest boy bands in the world. With number-one albums, singles and sold-out arena tours across the globe, Niall became a beloved singing sensation until the band entered a hiatus in 2016.

This unexpected setback did not stop Horan from continuing with his career. Niall signed with Capitol Records shortly afterwards and embarked on his next adventure in the industry. He released two studio albums, Flicker (2017) and Heartbreak Weather (2020) which were each met with critical acclaim and adoring fans both queer and straight. Horan has been hard at work on the highly anticipated release of his third set of songs, The Show.

The cover art for his upcoming album mirrors his own interest in the eras of the 1950’s and ‘60s. Upon first glance, you’ll see Niall leaning on a window, glaring up at letters that spell out ‘The Show’ but there is a much more meaningful metaphor behind these two words- the driving force and inspiration behind this special venture.

“I had ‘The Show’ written down for ages, but I never really knew what it actually meant. The older I’ve gotten, the more of a feel you get for life and how ‘life is like a show’ with its ups and downs and rollercoaster of emotions. It gave me a good round concept to go and write songs about life, love and anxieties.”

His previous albums were written when he was in his mid- 20’s and he believes that his upcoming work is “probably the most mature”.

“I am a little bit older than I was when I wrote my last one. I think that time has been good to me,” he reflects on the last decade of growing up in the ever evolving world of songwriting and performing.

”People really let go of everything that hurts them in their lives when they’re at concerts...

He continues “I think just the time and the influence, not the influences of change, but the influences become more prominent in my thinking when I sit down to write. There’s no heartbreak, so there are fewer heartbreak-driven songs because I feel like I’m in a good spot. It’s more about other parts of life.”

The writing experience was entirely different this time around. He explains that this different stage of life brought along a new mindset, leading him to channel happiness through song. “It definitely was a different way of thinking when I sat down to write. I think that would freak out most songwriters - ‘how do you write when you’re happy?’ Songs are a lot easier to write when you’re sad because it just comes spewing out.”

One of his songs on the new album is titled ‘Meltdown’ and the message behind it is centred around mental health. He took to social media to describe the song as being “about feeling anxious and being in that kind of freaking out moment but knowing deep down that everything will be alright.” It’s a tune that will no doubt become an anthem in due course.

When asked what he does to take care of his own mental health, Niall immediately turns to what we sometimes take for granted, simple things such as taking a walk, going for a coffee and practising hobbies. He is very grounded and appreciates the quiet life away from his hectic schedule.

“I love days when the most I do is walk down the road to get coffee and come back to the house and sit. I play a lot of golf. I find that golf is good when you’re as fidgety as I am, it’s a good way to put your phone in the golf bag. The other day, I went out and spent four hours on my own just playing golf. I had a speaker in the golf cart and listened to a few tunes. It’s a good release.”

Niall grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, and their timeless melodies have immensely influenced his own songwriting process over the years. His favourite album is Rumours and their 2019 live show in Wembley had a huge impact on “one of their biggest fans”.

“What I love about Fleetwood Mac is that no two songs sound the same. They’ve always been quite experimental, which has allowed me to approach things like that too. There are definitely sounds from the ‘80s and from Fleetwood Mac that I love. Fleetwood Mac is probably subconsciously in my writing, I’m obviously not trying to copy anything but they have definitely inspired me in some way.”

On the subject of live shows, we spoke about the unforgettable One Direction gig in Croke Park back in 2014. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he described how he always loves coming home to perform when he’s on tour and that he has also noticed a love for Ireland amongst other artists.

“It’s always the passionate and patriotic countries that are the best gigs, but Ireland, there’s something special about it, not even for me, but for everyone else. It’s obviously great for me because I come home and play to a crowd like that.”

He continued, “Places like Italy and South American, countries where they are passionate people make such a difference when you’re on stage, especially when you’re going through the run of a tour from country to country and then one really stands out. It’s a really cool feeling.

“We feed off of it, hearing the urge from the crowd. They’ve spent their money they’ve come to watch it. They’re passionate about every lyric. It’s a good feeling. It’s hard to put into words really.”

In addition to his musical talents and golfing skills, we chatted about his new-found skills as a late-night TV host when he stood in for Jimmy Kimmel in 2021.

Niall strutted onto the beloved stage and made the night his own with his impressive opening monologue about Irishness and golfing with the Jonas Brothers.

“I’ve never read off-cue cards before. They were asking me to do a 12-minute monologue and I was just like, ‘really?’ But I ended up getting really into that and writing it myself with their writers. I really enjoyed it. I was very nervous on the day but once you get into it, and it’s all happening, an hour passes quickly.”

He also credits his good pal, Lizzo for accompanying him as one of his guests and for being a great interviewee. “I got very lucky. I asked Lizzo if she would come on and do it with me… and I was so happy I could count on her. It was a good laugh and a really different experience. Jimmy said I did a good job so I’ll take any compliment I can get! He takes August off every year. I didn’t get asked last year and it was very upsetting to me!” he joked.

Fans of One Direction may have dubbed Horan as ‘The Pride of Mullingar’ and while it is a worthy title to bestow upon him, it has unfortunately already been claimed by Irish pop singer, Joe Dolan. Niall wasn’t phased at all. “I’m very happy with Joe being the pride of Mullingar. I grew up knowing Joe Dolan, he had a statue erected in the market square in town after he passed and he’s got a bridge. There’s a Joe Dolan bridge linking two parts of the town together. I’m fine with that!”

Who knows, Niall may get his very own statue and bridge in his hometown someday but for now, he’s absolutely delighted with his hand-drawn #LoveMullingar mural which is located on Dominick Street.

Since we are Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ press, we of course wanted to ask him if he had a message for his queer followers that have supported him over the last 14 years. He shared, “I feel like people really let go of everything that hurts them in their lives when they’re at concerts and when they listen to music, and I think that’s such an important thing. I think it’s so important to be your most true and honest self instead of feeling that, because society tells you to, that you have to cover up who you really are.”

He continues, “I think music, the music industry, gigs, and concerts are great places for people to spread their wings and just be who they want to be. So just be yourself, and don’t let anyone tell you how you should live.”

In addition to The Show released on June 9, Niall also announced that he will be going on a world tour next year. Be sure to check www.niallhoran.com to keep up with all of his exciting adventures.