Niall Horan Talks New Album, Tour Plans, One Direction Memories

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hen Niall Horan left his house in Los Angeles on a recent Sunday afternoon, there were a few hundred people in line at Olive and James Cafe Tea, a quaint coffee shop on Melrose Avenue. By the time he pulled up, the queue stretched around the block. There isn’t a matcha or tiramisu latte in the world delectable enough to rationalize that long of a wait, but they weren’t there for the coffee. It was all for him.

Horan, who splits his time between London and L.A., teamed up with the shop in celebration of Dinner Party, his fourth studio album, out June 5. The social media invite teased merch, drinks, and “a few surprises,” but never promised that he would be in attendance. “I couldn’t say hello to everyone because I just wasn’t expecting those types of numbers,”Horan says the following morning. 

At 32, he has seen fans show up for him without fail for most of his life, ever since One Direction were assembled on The X Factor in 2010. The band’s lightning-in-a-bottle success and his subsequent solo career are proof of that. But he doesn’t feel entitled to it; hundreds of people dropping everything to show up at a coffee shop he might or might not even set foot in still surprises him. “It was just a couple of free coffees,” he says.

The crowd came prepared. Some brought old J-14 posters and dolls from his 1D days. Others wore merch from his 2024 solo tour, which supported his lovestruck third full-length, The Show. “I didn’t realize how much confidence I would gain from that tour and that album,” Horan says. “It definitely settled me down.” The run included two sold-out nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden and an audience turnout of more than 1 million people in total.

“What’s even more apparent to me these days is every single person has got an individual story as to how they started listening to the music, the friends they’ve made, where they got the money to buy the ticket,” Horan says. “That stuff is blowing my mind more now than it ever did.” 

Horan has been in a more reflective state over the past few years. There’s the whirlwind romance of his current relationship, which anchors the album. He met his girlfriend at a dinner party he held about six years ago, proving that love really can just come knocking at your front door. He sounds settled and enamored across the record, even as he contends with grief following the death of his former bandmate Liam Payne in October 2024. More than anything, Dinner Party is a celebration of life and love.

Here, the Irish singer-songwriter looks back on the past fondly and looks ahead to the future with excitement, eager for more music, bigger shows, and every chance he gets to bring people together.

The first single from this album, “Dinner Party,” sets the stage for how your life has changed, in a good way, since meeting your girlfriend. What was your headspace like before that night? 
I was very single. The way I would look at it is, a lot of my life — well, all of my life and most of my existence — is based around my job. Those gaps that I would have in between jobs were just being at home doing nothing, chilling out, and counting down the days until I go back out on the road and do it all again. I was in my mid-twenties, just having a good time, touring, making music, doing all the things that come with it. I was free-spirited and not particularly looking for anything or anyone. And then however the world works, the opposite happened.

Whose dinner party was it? 
It was mine. It wasn’t much of a dinner party. To be honest, it was more Uber Eats than it was me over a stove. But a few people were over having food, and that was pretty much it, really.

There’s this line in the song, “I’m done looking for somebody.”
You always have it in your head, don’t you? You’d like the idea of settling down and doing the whole thing, but you’re also kind of doing a bit of both. You’re not thinking about it, and you are thinking about it. It’s never a switch that’s completely turned off. So I guess you’re in the waiting room, hoping that the doctor walks in.

This is your second album in a row that is deeply rooted in love and romance. How does that feel for you as a songwriter, in contrast to writing about heartbreak? 
It’s very different stuff to write. If I have to go into the studio and make something up, then it’s harder. Sometimes I do write observational-type music, where I look at other people’s scenarios or other people’s relationships or things I might have seen on the street. But when it comes to love or heartbreak, I find if you’re going through them, you can write about them a lot easier. These last two albums have definitely been more on the romantic side, because that’s where I’m at. 

“I always try, even in the doubtful songs, to have a happier ending.”

You do still manage to find a level of grit and conflict, even in that. There’s this awareness that something could go wrong. 
If it was all rosy, it wouldn’t be a great listen. All of my favorite songs have a bit of doubt to them. And if there’s no doubt, you’re lying to yourself. When I’m trying to put pen to paper, there has to be a bit of both in there for me. I always try, even in the doubtful songs, to have a happier ending. When I did “What a Time” with Julia [Michaels], I remember listening to that song for the first time and the whole thing was “What a time, what a time, what a time.” And at the very end, she went, “What a lie, what a lie, what a lie.” And I was just like, “That’s where it’s at.” I liked flipping the song on its head and making it something different. “Better Man” on this album, I did it in that. There’s a bit of bad dream and doubt, and a bit of songwriting tips and tricks.

What makes a great pop record for you? 
It’s all about hookiness and trying to get as many catchy bits into a song as you possibly can. The great pop records of all time have got great hooks in them, whether that be musical or a little melody thing that repeats. That’s why I’ve got so many choruses in “Dinner Party,” because I felt like it was the best part of the song.

We’re seeing bridges come back, too. Pop has really been missing them for a while. 
It’s great to hear them. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo has been a big influence on that for pop writers. “Red lights, stop signs …” — she does that a lot. What I like about Olivia’s music is you feel like you’re getting one song and then you get a completely different song. It completely flips on its head musically, goes somewhere different, brings you to a bridge, brings you to some weird musical breakdown thing. Whatever her and Dan Nigro are up to is a good little team they’ve got going there. It’s definitely influencing people, including myself.

The rock influences are here on this album, too — “Tastes So Good” is reminiscent of Blink-182. 
Blink, obviously, that drum sound is something that we were trying to chase, and that comes from that late-Nineties, early-2000s punk-rock era. Rock’s been a big influence in my life since I was a child. I write pop songs, but dressing them up in a different way sometimes is quite cool. And now, the way my career is going, I’m completely thinking about live shows all the time. I learned so much from being on the road and being out there every night. There’s only so much sitting on Spotify you can do and reading comments before you actually get an idea of what people actually think. You can see it in the room. The rockier stuff really goes off at the shows.

Your tour for The Show felt like a homecoming after the album before that, Heartbreak Weather, arrived at the worst possible time, in March 2020. You and Lewis Capaldi were supposed to go on the road together, then that all faded away.
I’m still getting over that. That was terrible. The album came out and we were meant to tour, and then obviously Covid happened, so that didn’t happen. I’m kind of glad it didn’t, because we would have just drank for six weeks. But, yeah, no, because that tour was missed and I hadn’t toured since 2018, there was a long gap of five or six years. The fans were ready to go [by 2024], waiting in the wings more than ever. Even having those conversations with my agents about booking tours and they were talking about arenas, I was just like, “Are you really sure about this? Because I don’t want it to be embarrassing.” It was the craziest year ever. We played to, like, 1.5 million people or something nuts like that around the world.

You went from these intimate shows at amphitheaters on the Flicker tour in 2018 to headlining Madison Square Garden.
Driving down and seeing your face on the side of Madison Square Garden is pretty crazy. If I never did it again, that was a box ticked. 

There were these postcards at the show with an old tweet from a fan saying you could sell out MSG. This is becoming a recurring thing, where you’re referencing things your fans say. That was the starting point for “Flowers,” too. 
I’m not a serial scroller. But when I do, I’ll see the odd thing that stands out. It’s like, “Niall, follow me.” “Niall, I love you.” “I hate you.” “Your eyes could grow flowers.” That’s all the tweet said. I was like, “That’s interesting.” I was sat next to Amy Allen, we were in Texas in between the two weekends of Austin City Limits. We were sat on the couch, just thinking about what we were going to do next, and that comment came up. It’s like this person is just so powerful in the small things that they do, their personality, and the way they make people feel. They’re so powerful that their eyes could grow flowers. It makes your ears perk up.

Some artists are very insular — “I don’t want to hear anything else.” But you’re the opposite of that. 
My first-ever singer-songwriter I heard was Paul Simon, which gave me Damien Rice. Or the first rock band I heard was the Eagles, and that gave me Bruce [Springsteen] and gave me Fleetwood [Mac]. You’re constantly just picking up new stuff. It’s nearly impossible not to these days, being around people and listening to what they’re listening to. Or going on Spotify or Apple [Music] and going through the different playlists. You can’t help but pick up different influences, whether they’re conscious or subconscious. 

“It’s all about trying to get as many catchy bits into a song as you can.”

What’s your dinner-party playlist when you’re hosting? 
I feel like you always have this concept of “Oh, it’s going to be chilled,” and then it ends up with everyone hammered. But that would usually start with an early Billy Joel album or O, by Damien Rice, which turns into Fleetwood Mac. And then before you know it, you’re listening to anything. To be honest, I’ll listen to most types of music. After a few drinks, whatever makes you get up and dance.

That’s essentially the premise of “Little More Time,” just wanting to be in that home space for a little longer.
I still get that rush from the second we wrote it in Nashville. It just made me feel really good. The lyrics happened really fast, because it’s something that I think about all the time. Last year, for instance, I was going back and forth between L.A. and London every 12 days or something like that. There were periods where I literally didn’t unpack the suitcase. I would just leave it in the hallway. I would pick out of it and wash stuff and put it back in, pick out of it again. Then before I knew it, I was taking off again. It got to the point where it was annoying me. Usually, I’m all right with it. I’ve traveled enough. I’ve got enough British Airways points. But I just got to a period where I was just like, “Oh, no, I just want to stay here now and be at home.”

You’re creating these songs in the head space of how they’re going to translate live, but then the song itself is about not going away.
If I’m going away for a few weeks to write or something, you get to a period in the writing where you’re just like, “Oh, right, we’ve run ourselves into a corner here. The last 10 songs we’ve written are crap. Let’s park the bus here and just go home.” That stuff is a bit annoying. Touring is just completely different to anything else that we do. We had a great thing, myself and my girlfriend, on the last tour. We had it down to a fine art as to how much time I was spending away. We know what we’re getting ourselves into for the next one. But I see touring as a completely separate thing and I get so excited about it.

With yourself and artists like Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Noah Kahan, there’s a thread of normalcy in your careers: You play the big shows, and then you get to retreat. When did you realize that was an option for you?
There’s only so much of yourself that you can give, just for your body, for your brain, for everything. It’s amazing to be able to go and do the shows, but you do need to have a bit of both. You can’t just be constantly at it…. I don’t understand how Ed does it. He is a machine. I would go out and do, usually, nine or 10 months of touring, and know that’s my time and we’ll chill after that. The older you get, you can start to have balance in your life, because it’s so important. If Noah Kahan doesn’t disappear for the last two years, you don’t get “The Great Divide” or “Porch Light.” I’ve heard the rest of the record — it’s crazy good. But you don’t have time to think about what’s coming next if you’re just constantly at it. You need to go and live your life and come back to it. 

The most nerve-racking thing about stepping away is [thinking], “Are they going to be there? Who’s going to be the next big artist that they might have moved on to?” You start doing the rounds in your head. Thankfully, that’s what I was most blown away by. I’ve seen the loyalty over the years, but seeing it in front of my own eyes in ’24 was the wildest experience. To know that I haven’t toured in six years and they’re coming out here at these festivals and then filling those arenas. Feeling that comfort from the fans does make stepping away a little bit easier. I was like, “Right, they really liked it the last time. Just give me some time.” 

“My agents were talking about booking arenas. I was like, ‘you sure?’ ”

What’s happening in the meantime is people are sitting with the music for longer, and their relationship with it changes. Made in the A.M., for example, is hard to listen to now because that entire album is about saying goodbye. 
It’s funny because it’s one of my favorites.

Has loss changed your relationship with those songs? For the fans, at least, it was a hard experience to hear “Walking in the Wind” after Liam passed.
Do you know what? I haven’t even thought about that, but I’m glad you brought it up because it’s going to make me go and listen to them now. I never really thought about it from that perspective, but I can see exactly why, actually. Some great songs in that album, first of all. We were also sad that we never toured it as well. That’s a pretty wild thing you’ve just brought up. I never would have even thought about that. What other songs are on that? Let me think about it. I love “Walking in the Wind.”

“Infinity” is a big one.
I remember seeing the first photos — after Liam passed — of us. There was a picture of an infinity [sign] on the wall from the music-video thing. That song was the first one that came into my mind.

Songwriters John Ryan and Julian Bunetta worked so much on that album, and you guys continued to have a really strong partnership where they’ve been able to watch you grow over the years. What was it like making your new song “End of an Era” together?
We wrote “End of an Era” about four times, because originally the song to me meant, “All right, we’re moving on.” Looking forward to the future, looking back on the past with nostalgia, being happy with what you had, excited for what’s going to happen. We’d written that song a long time ago. And then it was like, “No, we need to return to this,” after Liam passed. John and Julian lived next door to Liam for a long time, and we all grew up together. For the three of us, it was actually quite a crazy experience to have to write a song like that, because you don’t ever expect to. I remember myself and John stepping outside at the studio and writing these lyrics for 20 minutes. We started again and still had the chorus. Just a very weird experience for us all, but something that we all felt like we had to do for ourselves, for anyone who’s lost anyone, for the fans, for anyone that knew Liam. It felt like the right thing to do and something that we wanted to do — just terrible that we had to.

I love how celebratory it feels, though. It’s not a devastating song. 
Yeah, because at the end of the day, all of my memories are happy. We were talking about it when we were writing it. All of our memories are traveling the world, messing around, having fun, and being teenagers. I don’t have negative memories. It felt liberating to write about. I think that comes across in the song. The first verse is quite sad, but then it’s like, “Remember all the good times we had.” It’s got a bit of both in it. I love how it starts off as one type of song and then it turns into a different type of song. It also reminds me of some of the 1D stuff.

What are you envisioning for your next tour, as far as being back with the fans and having this reunion that it seems like everyone needs?
I honestly can’t wait. It’s the best part about what we do. It’s also the thing that I’ve done the most of for the last 15 years. At a point, playing to thousands of people was normal for me in a weird way, and I definitely am delving more into that in my head now. I just get excited now about the prospect of putting on the biggest possible show I can. I’ve already basically made the set list, and we’re six months out from it even starting. I have it all in my head. I know exactly what the stage looks like. Giving people value for their money is what I’m trying to do the most. Because we were at the start of community-based fandoms, it feels stronger than ever, which is a cool thing for the artists on the other end — that you would write songs and people would attach themselves so deeply to it that they do all of these things for you. And they’re doing it for themselves, too, which is as important.

You’ve also been able to establish an audience outside of that to a certain extent, from The Voice and other artists you’ve worked with.
I noticed, especially in America on the last tour, the crowd being a lot different. There was a lot of, literally, people wearing Voice T-shirts and “Team Niall” T-shirts. It’s amazing, though. People come in, just have a few drinks and listen to music, and then stick around and come to the next show and the next show. I know it’s a big growth after the festivals because obviously, when you play the festivals, not everyone that’s stood in that crowd is there to watch you. Everyone’s welcome. Please come along. Let’s grow this thing. It’s mind-blowing to me every day.

You’re playing two co-headline shows this summer with Thomas Rhett, with whom you’ve collaborated. There’s a bit of country and Nashville in all of your albums, isn’t there?
I think Irish folk music and country music, they’re married. It’s in us a little bit more, maybe, than it is in the U.K. I have always just appreciated the storytelling. I’m excited for those shows with him. Hersheypark, we played it in 2013. I just remember a strong smell of chocolate, and Harry doing laps on the stairs, running up and down. I was just going behind him on the Segway. These are my memories of that stadium. I think it’s a cool bringing together of the two worlds. Obviously, Thomas is very country, but he’s also quite poppy, too. It’s a good blend.

“Boys Are Fun” sounds like it should be on that set list. 
“Boys Are Fun” is such a fun song. It’s funny, people always say, “Does the music reflect where you wrote it?” I always find it does. “Gets It From Her Mother” is a Nashville song. “End of an Era” was written in Nashville too, actually. But then other songs like “Boys Are Fun” or “Taste So Good” were written in central London and Soho, looking out on the madness that goes on around there. We’d had a few beers, and then we wrote “Boys Are Fun.” It’s kind of got a yacht-rock feel to it.

“Hearing that roar, it’s like, ‘yeah, I understand that scream. I get it.’ ”

What’s driving you musically now?
I just love the evolution. I don’t think that I’ll scare anyone away with this album. I hope not, anyway. I don’t think it’s musically going, “What’s he doing?” I like that. I like the slow evolution that we get to go on together. That makes me excited for what the music is going to sound like in eight years’ time. But I do think that the crux of rock and fingerpicked acoustic guitar are always going to be there. That’s not changing. The touring really gets me out of bed. I’m just loving it more and more year on year. When I announced the tour and the album, you could feel it in the air. I think that’s exciting in itself.

Harry, Louis, and Zayn are all touring this year. Have you been able to experience any of their shows? 
I went to Harry’s show a couple of years ago, and that was just wild. Madness going on there. It reminded me of the 1D stadium shows where it was just seas of people jumping up and down. Watching the things going on on the floor, all the fans dancing around, I love that. You feel a sense of pride watching the boys doing what they love to do, and the communities that they’re able to create. I’m going to try and get to a Louis show of some capacity in the next few weeks. 

It’s crazy watching the fans and watching how they’ve grown up, but still have that youthful energy, and what they bring to shows. Hearing that roar when each of them come out onto the stage, it’s like, “Yeah, I understand that scream. I get it.” It sounds like a rocket’s about to take off.