Niall Horan claims that his time in One Direction now feels like a ‘separate life’ to the one he has now.
The former boyband member was a star born from reality TV alongside his fellow bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne.
But after enjoying great success, the five-piece decided to go their separate ways.
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Well, some decided earlier than others – looking at you Zayn – but the end result was the same.
Technically, the boys are on an indefinite hiatus but it would seem unlikely that they’ll be getting back together any time soon, given how they’ve been getting on.
Niall was just 16-years-old when the group were put together on The X Factor, but they quickly gelled and went on to sell out stadiums around the world, packed full of screaming fans.
Now that he’s a bit older and wiser, the Irishman admits that it all seems like a bit of a fever dream.
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The 29-year-old told TODAY: “I’m, like, a bit older,
"...I'm so mature now."
He started ruminating on the past during the pandemic, realising that the world he'd left behind now doesn’t feel like his own life.
"It nearly feels like it’s a separate life now," he said.
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"I definitely have a wiser, like, a good outlook on things, looking back.
“I didn’t lose the plot along the way.”
That’s a relief.
On the immediate success of the act, he remembered: "It snowballed very fast. And the rest is history, I suppose."
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At the start, he admits that the band were ‘in a state of shock’ at everything that was happening to them.
"I think that was what attracted a lot of people to the band. I think it was very clear that it was five working-class, blue-collar kids who were just the deer in the headlights and are now, like, these worldwide-known people," he continued.
“We always used to say, like, 'Normal people doing an abnormal job,' which is a good outlook to have."
From time to time, the 1D gang would look at each other and say ‘this is nuts’, he added.
Since leaving Horan has spent time working on solo albums, and he’s now promoting his third effort, entitled ‘The Show’.
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"'The Show' is basically me saying how grateful I should feel for everything, because, during the pandemic, we kind of lost all of that control that we like to have as humans.” the musician said.
"There’s always a level of trying to prove yourself,
"Hopefully, you write a good song here and there, and there’s a bit of longevity to it. I’ve been doing it for, what is it, f***ing 14 years now?
“I really hope it doesn’t stop anytime soon."
‘The Show’ by Niall Horan is out now.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/niallhoran/Vevo/OneDirection