Backstage, setlist in hand and a guitar case open on the floor, niall horan walks through a show like a small, careful conversation with an audience. He listens to the room, slots his favorites into the night and, deliberately, leaves some songs off the bill when his former bandmates are playing the same markets at the same time.
Why does Niall Horan avoid playing certain One Direction songs on tour?
Niall Horan, Irish pop singer, says the choice is practical and respectful. “I just play me favorites, I suppose, ” he said, and added a clear rule he follows: “I try to stay away from it if the lads are doing it — if Harry is touring and he’s playing ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ every night, it’d be a bit stupid for me to do the same song at the same time. ” He illustrated that approach with a past decision: when Louis Tomlinson sang “Drag Me Down” on his first tour, Horan kept away from that song and only returned to it later.
The decision is part artistic, part logistical. Horan described the current moment for all former band members as “pretty sweet, ” calling it “pretty cool” that multiple former members are releasing new music and touring around the same time. He noted that “everyone’s releasing good music and just getting out there, ” and that the size of the shows some of them are playing is “nuts. Wild. ” The choice to avoid duplication on setlists is therefore a small, deliberate way to manage overlap while the four solo careers run in parallel.
Which One Direction songs does Niall Horan call “underrated”?
When asked about songs from the band’s catalog that he feels deserved more attention, Horan singled out two titles. “I think ‘Steal My Girl, ‘ just got to say it, it’s underrated. Hot take. It was robbed of its day in the sun, ” he said. He also defended “Fool’s Gold” as another song that didn’t get enough love: “I think ‘Fool’s Gold’ is underrated. ” Those picks reflect a personal playlist that blends nostalgia with the priorities of a solo artist deciding what best serves his shows.
Across his own work, Horan has been building toward a new record titled Dinner Party, with a lead single and title track inspired by a personal moment with his girlfriend Amelia Woolley. He described that song in his own words: “this song is about a really happy and big moment in my life. an evening at a simple dinner party that changed the course of my life, ” and added, “after writing the song, the words ‘dinner party’ became the nucleus for the rest of the record. ” The album is scheduled to premiere on June 5.
How is the music and touring rhythm among former bandmates shaping what fans see?
With multiple former members active—one currently on tour in support of a recent album, another releasing a new album and preparing to tour, and others playing large-scale shows—Horan framed the overlap as positive for fans. “It’s exciting for everyone, ” he said, offering a glimpse of camaraderie rather than competition. In a lighter exchange, when an interviewer joked about buying many tickets and said, “My pockets are empty, ” Horan smiled and replied, “It’s so wild. I’m sorry. “
That mix of practical setlist choices, public encouragement for colleagues and attention to his own creative work illustrates a balancing act: Horan is protecting the individuality of his performances while acknowledging a shared moment for all the artists who once toured together under one name.
Back at the dressing room where the night began, the setlist is reordered with a shrug and a laugh. The same care that led him to step away from certain songs is what informs the new music he brings forward. As the crowd files in and the lights drop, niall horan steps onstage with a sense that, in a busy season for all of them, small choices can mean a lot.
