Niall Horan has marked 10 years as a solo artist by looking back on his journey from One Direction superstar to acclaimed singer-songwriter during a special appearance in Radio 2’s Piano Room.
Joining Vernon Kay on Radio 2, Niall performed three songs with the world-famous BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s Maida Vale Studios, including his new track Little More Time, fan favourite Nice to Meet Ya and a special cover of the Eagles classic Desperado.
The appearance gave listeners a chance to hear Niall reflect on the decade since launching his solo career after One Direction’s hiatus.
Speaking about the milestone, he admitted the passage of time feels surreal.
Niall 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 singer revealed the idea for his debut solo single This Town came to him while backpacking across Southeast Asia in 2016 after stepping away from the spotlight.
Niall said: “I came up with the idea for This Town on a beach in Thailand when I was backpacking around Southeast Asia in 2016.”
He explained that posting a clip of the song online was simply intended to reassure fans he was still making music.
“I was like oh I like this, not knowing that when I posted it as a bit of a Tweet to let fans know that I was still doing music, that it would go on to take on a life of its own,” he said.
The Irish star described spending four months travelling with little more than a backpack and flip-flops before returning home determined to write songs.
“I literally backpacked around Southeast Asia with a little red rucksack on my back and flip-flops for four months and I just tried to cut myself off from it all,” he said.
Looking back on his musical influences, Niall credited the Irish singer-songwriter tradition for shaping his sound.
“I grew up in a lot of Irish singer-songwriter stuff, so I think it’s just embedded in me,” he told Vernon.
The conversation also touched on the lasting impact of One Direction and the respect he continues to receive from fellow musicians.
Niall said he is still amazed when artists such as Noah Kahan, Role Model and sombr recognise his work and invite him to perform alongside them.
He added: “I’ve always tried to just stick to being myself. It’s worked thus far.”
Niall also discussed his upcoming fourth album, Dinner Party, which was created in Nashville alongside longtime collaborators Julian Bunetta and John Ryan.
He described the sessions as his most natural songwriting experience yet.
“We just said that we were going to start the album as organically as possible,” he explained. “It felt like how music should be written.”
The singer said Little More Time, one of the songs performed in Piano Room, was the final track written for the album and remains one of his personal favourites.
Elsewhere, Niall reflected on his successful stint as a coach on The Voice US, where he won the competition three times.
Despite years of performing in front of huge crowds, he admitted television appearances still make him nervous.
“TV performances are something that I get ridiculously scared about,” he revealed.
The highlight of the session came when Niall performed Desperado with the BBC Concert Orchestra, paying tribute to one of his biggest musical influences.
Introducing the song, he explained: “This song is by my favourite band of all time, the Eagles. Don Henley is my favourite male vocalist ever.”
Niall added that attending an Eagles concert was his first live music experience and that Desperado remains one of the earliest songs he can remember hearing as a child.
Listen back to Niall’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.