If fans weren’t hyped for the release of Niall Horan’s new album before, they are now. Ahead of the release of Heartbreak Weather, the ex-One Direction member hit The Late Late Show during (appropriately enough) “Niall Horan Week.” While Niall looked forward to appearing in “skits” and “Carpool Karaoke” and shenanigans like that, he was also there to showcase his new music. Oh, and he did that on March 9, with a performance of his forthcoming album’s lead single, “Nice To Meet Ya.”
Niall not only showcased his swoon-worthy vocals that once won over The X Factor, but his instrumental talents as well! He jammed out on an electrical guitar on James’ stage, proving he’s not just a pretty voice. The performance made fans even more impatient for Niall’s album to drop on March 13 — before rocking out, Niall sat down with James and West World’s Thandie Newton to reveal that he strove to make a “concept album,” instead of making every single track simply about himself.
When One Direction went on hiatus after the end of 2015, each 1D member had gone on to release a solo project (or, in the case of Niall and Harry, two.) Though Zayn Malik technically won the race to release his debut solo album first, Mind of Mine arrived in March 2016, about a year after he quit the band. Niall’s Flicker arrived in October 2017, a few months after Harry’s self-titled debut, and like Harry, Flicker was a success. It went platinum in the US, and twice-platinum in Niall’s home of Ireland. Needless to say, this weighed heavily on his mind when he was putting together his sophomore release, Heartbreak Weather.
Guys, can't stop clapping from that performance. #LateLateNiall pic.twitter.com/90WOTuT9EL
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) March 10, 2020
“The success of the [Flicker] means people are now watching to see where I’m at,” Niall said to The Line Of Best Fit. “You know what I mean? Which is a great thing, but while I’m in the studio, I try not to think about it like that. You do have the ‘second album syndrome’ thing in your head all the time, but I wanted to go in the studio and have fun. If I was dwelling on it, I’d just have been chasing down a hit the whole time. I’d be like, ‘Oh sh-t, I need another ‘Slow Hands” now.’ And I probably did that for a second, actually.”
**Jaw Drop** @NiallOfficial pic.twitter.com/q5ZGgbmIBh
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) March 10, 2020
“But really, I tried just to grab the album by the scruff of its neck, especially with what I wanted to do musically,” he added. “I knew I wanted this album to be upbeat. I felt like I’d pigeonholed myself a touch with the genre I went down last time. Which was great, and it was exactly how I wanted to do it, and it was successful. But looking forward now, I’ll have a good blend of uptempo and sad songs for my next tour. I won’t be as pigeonholed as I was before.”