Summary
- Niall Horan credits "This Town" as the song that gave him confidence after leaving One Direction.
- "This Town" was inspired by the feeling of pining for a first love and is based on Niall Horan's real experiences.
- Aside from "This Town," Niall Horan's other hits, like "Slow Hands" and "You Could Start A Cult," have also given him confidence in his solo career.
Despite finding varied success as solo artists, every former member of One Direction has to live with its legacy. There's a reason why Harry Styles once compared the boy band's popularity to that of The Beatles... they were just THAT big. And that kind of achievement is hard to top. So, it's not exactly surprising that many of the former One Direction members, despite their high net worths, have struggled to break free from what made them famous.
But that can't be said of Niall Horan, the Irish heartthrob of the group. During an interview with Vulture, Niall Horan discussed his best love songs and his transition from One Direction to a solo artist. During this, he revealed that a couple of his songs really gave him the confidence to go it alone...
Niall Horan Credits "This Town" As The Song That Gave Him Confidence After Leaving One Direction
Niall Horan, along with the rest of the members of One Direction (excluding Zayn Malik) officially ended their boy band in 2015. Since then, Horan has been going it alone. And, unlike some of the other members of the group, he has experienced some notable success. This includes the very first single he wrote after leaving One Direction, "This Town".
During an interview with Vulture, Niall Horan admitted the following about "This Town":
"The first song I wrote after 1D was “This Town,” which ended up being the first single. I was so lucky in that sense, that I knew who I was, as an artist, and that I didn’t have to overthink about what it was gonna sound like."
Horan went on to say that most artists leaving successful musical groups struggle to find their own sound. But this wasn't something he experienced thanks to "This Town".
"As an out-the-gate, first thing, to sit down and write “This Town” — it gave me confidence that, Okay, this might be something that people get. Then afterwards with how it was received, it took a lot of weight off the shoulders and made me stand out there and be confident as a performer when I performed it live. It’s a song I still don’t get bored of playing, actually. I thought I would. I thought after seven years now, I’d be sick of it."
| Inside Niall Horan's "This Town" | According to Teen Vogue, EW, and Spotify |
| Release Date | September 29, 2016 |
| Length | 3 Minutes 52 seconds |
| Songwriters | Niall Horan, Jamie Scott, Mike Needle, Daniel Bryer |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Peak | Number 20 |
| Spotify Streams as of November 28th, 2023 | 849.593,189 |
How Niall Horan Wrote "This Town"
Niall Horan revealed how he wrote "This Town" in a video posted to Spotofy's official Twitter (now X), according to Teen Vogue in 2016. He claimed that the song was inspired by the very thing that every listener can relate to, the feeling of pining for a first love. In the video, Horan explained the following:
"It's such a relatable song. If you come from a small town, you get that straight away. Every time you go home...it's like, there's the girl that you fell for when you were 12."
While Horan didn't admit who "This Town" was written about, he did say that it was based on his real experiences.
"It's a real-life honest story."
What Niall Horan Said About His Songs After One Direction
While Niall Horan will always be associated with One Direction songs such as "What Makes You Beautiful", "Kiss You", and "Story Of My Life", he has also been lucky enough to have a number of other hits that he's proud. Much like "This Town", some of Horan's other works have given him confidence in his solo career.
During an interview with Vulture, Niall Horan claimed that his 2017 song "Slow Hands" was the most surprising success as it wasn't something he thought he'd make.
"It’s in my wheelhouse of stuff I listen to, groove-wise and the guitar, but at that point I was writing a lot of folky stuff. So to go into that kind of ’80s-rock thing on the first record was even a shock to me."
Of course, in both his One Direction years and his solo years, Niall Horan is best known for his love songs. While "This Town" is certainly one of his best, Horan told Vulture that "You Could Start A Cult" is a favorite of his.
"'You Could Start a Cult' is probably the one that epitomizes a love song. It’s very me. It’s probably the most “me” song I’ve written.
"It’s provocative," Horna continued during his interview with Vulture. "You know, 'It gets the people goin’.' I had that title phrase and just wanted to write the complete opposite song of what you think it is. And I hope people look at the track listing and are like, 'I wanna hear that.'"
Given both the musical structure and meaning of "You Could Start A Cult", one could argue that it could've been a One Direction song. But Horan believes one of his other songs absolutely couldn't. And that would be "The Show" from the 2023 album of the same name.
"I think you have to have a deep dive into your head to write a song like 'The Show.' I feel like it’s a song that provoked a lot of thought — even the concept of the show itself, like being grateful for what happens in life on a daily basis and realizing that you have to go through some s**t to get some of the good stuff in life," Horan explained to Vulture.
"I feel like 'The Show' was probably that song for me."
