From boy band heartthrob to solo sensation, Niall showcases personal growth and musical evolution on his introspective album ‘The Show’.
“There’s no one here to be a flash in the pan,” Niall Horan affirms, despite all signs of his career pointing to longevity and impact. This was a surprising declaration for a successful artist who has captured the hearts and ears of millions worldwide, and as our well-spent virtual time together unfolded, it became obvious why this would even be a floating intention in his mind.
Having already hypnotized the masses, surrendering to his talent, charm, and warmth as one-fifth of One Direction, Niall Horan, like the others, took a solo leap into the music scene, crafting an individualistic DNA. In 2020, he dropped his album, Heartbreak Weather, at an unforeseen inopportune time of the world shutting down. As I connected with Niall, it became immediately apparent to me that his creative force is fuelled by his onstage performances. While the album was well-received, his solo tour was knocked down before it got a chance to kick off, a consequence so impactful that it could trick even the most favored heartthrobs into questioning their longevity in the game. His songs were destined to go unsung by crowds for years, forcing him to explore stimulus and find inspiration for his next project from the place we were all ordered to stay—inside. What resulted from this ill-fated circumstance, is his most-realized, mature, and introspective album we’ve seen from Niall Horan yet, The Show.
An all-too-philosophical metaphor for life, The Show, naturally captures Niall’s value systems of what is important to him during his blip on the planet—with many songs being positioned to interpersonal relationships, of course—and proving that his musicality is often influenced by a comprehensive concept. Niall gives us an entire life’s trajectory of music to lean on—talk about longevity—“Never Grow Up” touches upon holding on to child-like joy, “Heaven” speaks to the quintessential quarter-life crisis and title-track “The Show” is a nod to the impermanence of it all, ebbs and flows in their glory. Embodying the concept of the record, Niall reveals that “The Show” is particularly meaningful to him, “It’s one of those ones that I go around singing the melody to myself, and I wrote the song nearly three years ago,” which champions the idea that this album will stand the test of time.
In “Meltdown”, a winning moment on the album, Niall talks us down from a feeling of being consumed by one of life’s surprises of something going unexpectedly sideways, spiraling into thinking your life is bound to go downhill from there, a familiar anxiety-based delusion many can understand. His ability to candidly speak our truths is organic, but not unintentional, he tells me, “I think [the songs] are all [capturing] universal feelings. I haven’t gone so introspective to the point where you can’t understand. I think that with the topic being so universal, the idea is that people will be able to relate. More so, than probably anything I’ve ever released.”
Niall Horan is proving himself to be a thoughtful, bigger-picture thinker whose creativity is informed by minimal mental bounds. The Show’s standout single “Heaven”, he tells me, was the longest song to get together. “I knew exactly what I wanted to say and it was just getting the words out and the music to go with it. I had the concept and I was singing the verse, chorus, [and] melody, but didn’t really know what the music was. And then [it] just popped up at 1 in the morning and fell out of us. That was probably the toughest song to write but when you stay patient and wait for that big moment, it’s a very good feeling.”
The stripped-down emotional highlight of the album, however, had a unique inception. “Some songs are completely different,” he shares, “like ‘You Could Start A Cult’, I sat down with a guitar and wrote in forty minutes. Things happen very differently. I always like to have an idea of what I’m going to say and some sort of musical thing—whether that be a melody, piano, guitar riff—I’ll always come in with something and see what happens.”
Growth looks good on Niall Horan, an artist a lot of us have grown up with and who remains relatable throughout the years despite having a surreal life experience. The Show takes a more experimental approach, incorporating synths, emphasizing the role of backing vocals throughout the production, and reflecting the musical evolution that comes with age and exposure. While still maintaining his signature style and Niall-isms, he tells me this album was heavily informed by his overall maturity. “There’s something about it that’s just different, I can’t really put my finger on it. It’s probably just age and growing up them few years and writing stuff from this current point of view.” The willingness he demonstrates to explore new territories is admirable but assures me that he’s always aware of creating stuff that is not so different that will scare people away, “You don’t want to do that!”
It’s this same maturity, in tandem with his starting his career as a contestant on a talent competition show that has equipped him with the valuable insights he can share with aspiring artists as a coach on The Voice. Early in our conversation, he excitedly shared that he was looking forward to potentially winning, and as further proof of his capabilities, he did. Gina Miles, under his wing, impressed the masses with her vocals and took home the win of Season 23. His best advice for his team? Take it easy.
“It’s such simple advice. I find on The Voice [the contestants] are so technically gifted, and with that comes taking it really seriously. At the end of the day, we’re on a reality TV show on a Monday night. I’m always trying to remind them to just take it easy and enjoy it for what it is. You get the platform to stand up there every night and sing songs that you love in front of a nation. It’s a really cool opportunity if you look at it that way. If you look at it [more seriously], it’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done. As I’ve gone on, I can see my artists are actually making friends and enjoying the process of it all. Because it can be over in two seconds. Take it in, and know that if you leave The Voice, it’s not the end of your career, you’re sixteen!”
Simple, uncomplicated advice is often what’s needed but can sometimes only be realized with so many years under your belt, as we adjust and learn to surrender to the aforementioned ebbs and flows of life that The Show is all about. With this, comes the inevitable facing up of mistakes and lessons learned both professionally and personally that can eventually equip you with the knowledge to be a viable mentor.
“You do learn. I listen to a shit song I’ve written and go ‘That was shit’ and what did I do there that I didn’t do in one of my favorites? You’ll learn like that. It’s a progression thing, across the board, musically and personally. And from what I’ve gathered, that doesn’t come to an end any time soon.”
Leaning into the idea of the album’s concept, and in theory, if our life is a show, then surely you get to be in the writer’s room to imagine your desired season finales. In typical Niall nature, he tells me, “I’m one of those people that doesn’t look past my note. You gotta live it as you’re in it.” I guess it is true what he sings on “The Show”, it’s all fun and games until the party ends. And who else better to party with than Lewis Capaldi? The two UK-born artists have established a close relationship through their experiences in the music industry, developing a close bond that has secured Lewis a regular, main character spot on Niall’s “show”. “He’s well and truly in the show. It’s a good relationship to have. And I don’t go around the world looking for famous mates because that wouldn’t say too much about me,” Niall tells me, “I always found if you get on with someone [you] can usually judge [them] on ‘would I go for a pint with that person?’ and I’ve gone for plenty of pints with that man.”
On a more profound note, Niall expands on his humble ambitions, “Obviously, you’ve got to think about the future, [but] you can fry your own brain, planning your whole life out. And if you don’t hit any of those goals, you feel like you have failed. I’ve always tried to swim through it and see what happens. I’ve never felt more enjoyment of what I do than now, and hopefully, I can make music at this level and remain happy in my home life. And cross the bridge when it comes to it, I suppose.”
Clear in his direction, Niall is dedicated to making music and continuing to adapt his voice to his life experiences, for as long as he can. “I think we all go for longevity. Longevity and time [are] the most important things to me. If I could win some awards or get No.1 [on the charts] here and there, that would be good too. But, I would love length and longevity in my career.” Much of Niall’s legacy will rightfully be rooted in One Direction, “I wouldn’t be doing this now if it weren’t for 1D, I’ve got zero issues with that following me around forever,” he says, pointing to the obvious impact of that historic and iconic era.
As Niall Horan’s introspective journey thus far, culminates in The Show, his individual artistic vision is delivered with clear force, carrying in it his expansion and development. Despite the setbacks of 2020, his upcoming tour promises to be a triumphant return to his natural home, the stage, where he can once again captivate audiences with his magnetic presence. With longevity as his compass, Niall Horan is poised to solidify his place enchanting new fans—and recovered Directioners—for years to come.
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