Pop
Niall Horan reveals biggest fear after One Direction split
Niall Horan has reflected on the early days of his solo career, saying he feared fans would think he had disappeared after One Direction ended.
Niall Horan says he unintentionally became a solo artist while backpacking.
Speaking to Vernon Kay on BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room, the Slow Hands singer - who has released four solo albums over 10 years - first admitted it's surreal to him that he's been a solo artist for a decade.
He said: “No, it is pretty surreal to think that it's been 10 years. I’ve been doing this for 16 years already and I’m only 33 in a couple of months.”
The former One Direction star said the shift from performing in one of the world's biggest boy bands to writing alone was unexpected.
He said: “Yeah, it was obviously an odd thing. I didn't expect to be doing that.
“I always kind of trusted that I could write a song… hopefully you come across a good one along the way that helps you launch some sort of a career.”
Horan said the idea for his debut solo single, 2016's This Town, came during a backpacking trip.
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He said: “I came up with the idea for This Town on a beach in Thailand when I was backpacking around Southeast Asia in 2016.
“I posted it as a bit of a Tweet to let fans know that I was still doing music, not knowing that it would go on to take on a life of its own.”
Horan said he felt he needed to reassure fans he had not vanished.
He said: “I just didn't want them to think I disappeared off the face of the earth."
The Irish singer - who is currently promoting his latest solo album Dinner Party - had not planned a solo career during his time in 1D.
He said: “We were writing basically on the road a lot… but the solo stuff I hadn't really thought about.
“After the band, I just thought, I'm going to do nothing now. I literally backpacked around Southeast Asia with a little red rucksack on my back and flip‑flops for four months.”
He described the trip as a reset before returning to music.
He continued: “After the whirlwind of the previous five years I just thought it'd be nice to do something half normal for a second.
“It was nervous going back in, not knowing what was going to come next… I write more bad songs than I do good ones, so that's just the way it works.”
The Flicker singer said performing with just a guitar felt like returning to his roots.
He said: “I grew up in a lot of Irish singer‑songwriter stuff, so I think it's just embedded in me.
“The want to be able to tell a story is just inside me.”
Horan also reflected on the recognition One Direction received from other artists.
He said: “People that you didn't think were fans would end up being fans.
"Even now… to get the recognition and for really cool artists to be asking me up on stage is pretty sweet.”
Listen back to Horan's Piano Room performance and interview here on BBC Sounds. You can also watch his full performance on BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room YouTube playlist here and BBC iPlayer.
