Niall Horan endures a stormy 2nd solo album
How have the former members of One Direction fared ever since they went solo? While Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne have carved out reasonably successful individual careers, that still doesn’t compare to the phenomenal success they had as their former behemoth boyband. While ‘Directioners’ still wait with baited breath for a reunion of their five favourite boys, it could be a long wait, as Niall had this to say about Zayn recently: “After the band, he left for his reasons and then he never really spoke to us much afterwards.”
The most recent member to showcase his solo talent, Louis Tomlinson, released his debut album Walls on January 31. “The latest One Directioner to go his own way tackles big themes, but the music is filled with the kind of dead-eyed vocal delivery and lazy drumming, strumming, and writing that all pop stars fear,” writes Ashley Bardhan of Pitchfork. Harry Styles’ Fine Line, released on December 13, 2019, found a glowing review in Rolling Stone. “Harry Styles Is a Rock God and a Gentleman on writes Nick Catucci.
Liam Payne released his debut studio album on December 6, to not very kind early reviews. Mark Kennedy of called the album “a collection of monotonous club songs that often sound like warmed-over Justin Beiber rejects”. Zayn hasn’t had an album out since 2018. Meanwhile Niall is back with his second album, Heartbreak Weather. In an interview with The Sun, he revealed most of the album was inspired by a recent break-up (possibly the lovely Hailee Steinfeld, who Horan was reportedly dating for a few months, but the couple called it quits in December 2018). There were also rumours of a romance with Selena Gomez which Niall shut down saying they were just ‘good friends.’ Whatever be his inspiration, there’s no doubt Niall is enjoying his solo career. When asked by British GQ whether he found it empowering having so much more control as a solo artist, he said, “Well, I’ve been doing it for ten years, so it’s about time I took the reins. And it’s been great. Even down to the creative elements, I’ve found with the upcoming album that I’ve become a lot more creative, whether that’s writing my last video or designing the set for my tour.”
A review from Stereogum has been all praise for Heartbreak Weather. “If he’s still making songs for boilerplate network dramas and young-professional mixers, this time they pop. If he’s still the musical equivalent of a suburban chain restaurant, the menu has been overhauled with a pleasing variety of flavours. The album’s writing, production, and performance all represent an upgrade from Flicker. Horan has developed a swagger that rescues the lesser tracks from grocery-aisle oblivion and elevates the highlights alongside the best of his old mates’ post-1d offerings. He has not just lived, he has learned,” writes Chris Deville.