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Niall Horan

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Niall Horan
Horan at Niall Horan's Charity Football Challenge in 2014
Horan at Niall Horan's Charity Football Challenge in 2014
Background information
Birth nameNiall James Horan
Born (1993-09-13) 13 September 1993 (age 31)
Mullingar, Ireland
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • guitarist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • Guitar
Years active2010–present
LabelsSyco, Columbia

Niall James Horan (born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist, known as a member of the boy band One Direction.[1] In 2010, Horan auditioned as a solo artist for the seventh series of the British televised singing competition The X Factor.[2] He failed to progress to the "Boys" category at the "judges' houses", but after guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested that Niall joined One Direction, with Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson, the group became a reality. The five-piece band made it to the final and finished in third place. Even though they didn't win, One Direction was signed by Simon Cowell to a reported £2 million Syco record contract.[3]

In his career as a member of One Direction, he has co-written songs such as "Taken", "Everything About You", "Same Mistakes", "Back for You" and "Summer Love", from the albums Up All Night and Take Me Home.[4][5] In the latter, he also has played guitar. He also co-wrote the songs "Don't Forget Where You Belong", "Why Don't We Go There" and "Story of My Life" for the Midnight Memories album,"Night Changes", "Fool's Gold" and "Change Your Ticket" for the album Four, "Wolves", "A.M", "Temporary Fix" and "Never Enough" for the band's fifth album Made in the AM.[6][7][8]

Early life

Niall James Horan was born on 13 September 1993 in Mullingar, Ireland. His parents, Bobby Horan and Maura Gallagher, divorced when he was five years old, so he and his brother Greg Horan had to live in both houses for some time. They later decided to move definitely with their father.[9] He attended St. Kenny National School primary school, and as a teen, the catholic Coláiste Mhuire, both in Mullingar. Niall started playing guitar when his brother got one for Christmas, but didn't use it so Niall started to play with it and taught himself how to do it by playing it off YouTube. His aunt discovered his talent one day when she was in the car with Niall as he started singing. She originally thought the radio was on. As a teenager he performed at the Mullingar Arts Centre (in a fund-raiser for the local football team, the Shamrocks), he also supported Lloyd Daniels at the Academy 2 in Dublin.

Music career

The X Factor

In 2010, at sixteen years old, Niall auditioned for the seventh series of The X Factor in Dublin. He sang "So Sick", and received mixed comments from the judges. Louis Walsh was in his favour, but Cheryl Cole and guest judge Katy Perry, felt he needed some time to grow. Simon voted to let him through, Cheryl said no, and Louis quickly added in his yes, and left Niall's fate up to Katy. She decided to vote yes, and Niall was put through to bootcamp.

At bootcamp, Niall sang "Champagne Supernova", but failed to qualify for the "Boys" category. After a suggestion from guest judge Nicole Scherzinger, Niall was put into a group with four other boys, who also failed to move on in the competition, but since they were too good to let go, the judges decided to agree with Nicole. Niall, along with Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, formed One Direction. Styles came up with the band name, which he thought would sound good when announcer Peter Dickson read their name out on the live shows. Subsequently, the group got together for two weeks to get to know each other and to practice. For their qualifying song at "judges' houses" and their first song as a group, One Direction sang an acoustic version of "Torn". Simon Cowell later commented that the performance convinced him that the group "were confident, fun, like a gang of friends, and kind of fearless as well." Within the first four weeks of the live shows, they were Cowell's last act in the competition. During the competition, the band performed different songs such as Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" and Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart", quickly gaining popularity in the UK. Nonetheless, they finished in third place, behind runner-up Rebecca Ferguson and winner Matt Cardle.

One Direction

Main article: One Direction
Horan at the 2014 ARIA Music Awards, Sydney, 26 November 2014

Following The X Factor, One Direction had been signed by Cowell to a reported £2 million Syco record contract. They began recording their debut album in January 2011, they flew over to Los Angeles to record it. In February 2011, the boy band and other contestants from the series participated in The X Factor Live Tour. During the tour, the group performed for 500,000 people throughout the UK. After the tour concluded in April 2011, the group continued working on their debut album. Recording took place in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, as One Direction worked with producers Carl Falk, Savan Kotecha, Steve Mac and Rami Yacoub, among others.

In 2011, they released their first studio album, Up All Night. It debuted at number one on the United States Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. This led to One Direction becoming the first British band to debut its first studio album at number one. Their first single, "What Makes You Beautiful", reached number one in Ireland, Mexico and the UK.[10][11][12] The subsequent singles, "Gotta Be You", "One Thing" and "More than This", had moderate success, being successful in some countries, but failing in others.[13][14][15] To promote the album, they embarked on the Up All Night Tour and released the tour's DVD, Up All Night: The Live Tour.[16][17]

In November 2012, they released their second studio album, Take Me Home. This album had a better reception than their first album, reaching number one in the UK and becoming their first album to top the UK chart. It also reached the first spot in Australia, Canada, the United States, Ireland and New Zealand.[18][19][20][21] "Live While We're Young", one of the singles, reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand, while "Little Things" reached number one in the UK.[22][23] The third single, "Kiss You", made it to several charts, but never topped any.[24] Additionally, they embarked on their second tour, the Take Me Home Tour, which covered four continents. Their movie This Is Us, directed by Morgan Spurlock was mostly shot during the tour.[25] The film grossed more than $30 million worldwide its first weekend in theatres.

They also sang a medley of Blondie's "One Way or Another" and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" called "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)", in order to raise funds for Comic Relief.[26][27]

The band's third studio album, Midnight Memories, was released on 25 November 2013.

Their fourth album, Four, was released on 17 November 2014. This album is One Direction's last album as a five-piece.

Their fifth album, Made in the A.M., was released on 13 November 2015. It reached number 1 in several counties including the UK, beating Justin Bieber's "Purpose". This album is One Direction's last album before the hiatus.

Influences

In an interview with Digital Spy, Horan cited Michael Bublé as one of his biggest influences because they had similar life histories, as he was discovered by his aunt and the same thing happened to Bublé, except he was discovered by his father. In his audition for The X Factor, he said he wanted to be a "big name", like Beyoncé or Justin Bieber.[28]

Horan has also stated that he is a "big swing" fan, citing his favourite artists as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bublé.[29] Horan likes rock music and is a fan of The Eagles, Bon Jovi and The Script.[29][30]

Personal life

His parents are divorced, and his mother has since remarried.[9] He has an older brother named Greg.[31] Horan is a supporter of Football League Championship side, Derby County.[32] He also enjoys watching tennis and cricket occasionally, he has gone twice to the Australian Open and he's also friends with the player Novak Djokovic and is a supporter of the Ireland cricket team.[33][34][35][36][37][38]

Horan enjoyed playing a number of sports while growing up, including golf, football, and Gaelic football.[39] In the summer of 2010, while playing football with friends, Horan injured his knee and was diagnosed with a floating kneecap.[39] The problem recurred several times over the next couple of years, including a 2013 incident where he dislocated his knee onstage during a concert in Antwerp, Belgium.[39][40] Horan came to the United States for major reconstructive surgery in January 2014, after the tour ended.[39][41] After the surgery, Horan was invited to do physical therapy with Chelsea by their manager, José Mourinho. Horan went through more than seven weeks of physical therapy with the members of the team and their physical therapist at their training ground in Surrey.[39]

Horan has involved himself in the sports world a number of times on social media, and on 8 April 2015, he caddied for professional golfer Rory McIlroy for the Par 3 contest prior to the 2015 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.[42] A video of Horan losing his balance during a televised interview with McIlroy circulated around the internet for several days following the tournament, causing Horan himself to tweet about the fall.[43][44]

In 2016 Horan and golf player Justin Rose created the "Horan and Rose Gala", a charity event in aid of Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens. The event is going to be hosted by Kirsty Gallagher and Gaby Logan in London with a dinner cooked by Jamie Oliver and performance of Olly Murs during Sunday May 29 and Monday 30th.[45] On April 12 Rose posted a photo of him and Horan writing songs for the event.[46]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2010 The X Factor Himself Contestant; Series 7
2012 iCarly Himself Guest role; (Season 6, Episode 2)
Saturday Night Live Himself Musical guest; (Season 37, Episode 18)
2013 One Direction: This Is Us Himself
Saturday Night Live Himself Musical guest; (Season 39, Episode 8)
2014 Where We Are - The Concert Film Himself
Saturday Night Live Himself Musical guest; (Season 40, Episode 10)
One Direction: The TV Special Himself

Discography

Main articles: One Direction discography and List of songs recorded by One Direction

Songwriting credits

Year Title Artist Album Notes
2011 "Taken" One Direction Up All Night Co-writer
"Everything About You"
"Same Mistakes"
2012 "Live While We're Young" Take Me Home Additional guitars
"Kiss You"
"Heart Attack"
"Change My Mind"
"Back For You" Co-writer
"Summer Love"
"Irresistible"
2013 "Story Of My Life" Midnight Memories
"Don't Forget Where You Belong"
"Why Don't We Go There"
2014 "Fool's Gold" Four
"Night Changes"
"Change Your Ticket"
2015 "Never Enough" Made in the A.M.
"Temporary Fix"
"Wolves"
"A.M."

See also

References

  1. ^ "Niall Horan Biography". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Niall Auditions For The X Factor". Capital FM. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  3. ^ Jon O'Brien. "One Direction Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  4. ^ Matt Collar. "Take Me Home - One Direction". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ^ Matthew Chisling. "One Direction - Up All Night". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  6. ^ Tim Sendra. "Four - One Direction". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  7. ^ "Made in the A.M. - One Direction". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  8. ^ Tim Sendra. "Midnight Memories - One Direction". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  9. ^ a b "Mums of One Direction stars reveal how the boys have grown into music sensations". Daily Record. Glasgow. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  10. ^ "One Direction on UK". The Official Chart Company. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Mexico Airplay". Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Chart Track Archive". GFK Chart Track. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  13. ^ "More Than This on Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  14. ^ "One Thing on Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Gotta Be You on Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Up All Night - Live Concert DVD". One Direction Music. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  17. ^ "One Direction prepare for 'Up All Night' Tour With Watford Concert". Capital FM. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  18. ^ "Irish Albums Chart - Take Me Home". GFK Chart Track. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  19. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  20. ^ "One Direction Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Australian Album Charts - One Direction". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  22. ^ "One Direction Discography". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  23. ^ "Chart Track Archive 5". GFK Chart Track. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Australian Charts - Kiss You". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  25. ^ "One Direction Movie in 3D". Coming Soon. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  26. ^ Kate Lucey. "NIALL HORAN DEBUTS ONE DIRECTION'S ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON NICK GRIMSHAWS RADIO 1 SHOW - LISTEN". Sugarscape. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  27. ^ Tim Nixon. "One Direction go One Way Or Another for Comic Relief 2013". The Sun. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  28. ^ Alex Fletcher (August 31, 2011). "'X Factor' Niall wants to be new Bieber". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ a b "Niall Interview (VEVO LIFT): Brought to you by McDonald's". YouTube. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  30. ^ Leah Collins (12 March 2012). "One Direction: X Factor boy band on what sets them apart". National Post. Canada: Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  31. ^ Lisa McGarry (6 November 2010). "X Factor 2010: Niall Horan's brother says One Direction get along well". Unreality TV. Unrealitytv Limited. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  32. ^ Tyler, Kelly. "Derby County fan and One Direction star Niall Horan to hold charity football challenge". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  33. ^ Martin, Laura. "New look for 1D Niall as he cheers on Novak Djokovic in Australian Open final". mirror. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  34. ^ "Niall Horan returns for Australian Open final". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  35. ^ "Australian Open champ Djokovic celebrates with One Direction's Horan". Mail Online. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  36. ^ Niall Horan Enjoys A Cricket Match In Melbourne beautifulballad.org. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  37. ^ Niall Horan joins growing chorus of celebrities #BackingGreen Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  38. ^ We'd like to welcome back @NiallOfficial to the @MCG for his second @StarsBBL match Melbourne Stars. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  39. ^ a b c d e Direction, One (2014). Who We Are: Our Autobiography. London: Harper Collins. pp. 86–145. ISBN 978-0-00-757731-6.
  40. ^ "One Direction Antwerp 1-5-13 Niall and Louis DANCE COMPETITION (Niall hurts his knee)". YouTube. Retrieved 10 December 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |2= (help)
  41. ^ "One Direction's Niall Horan Has Major Knee Surgery". E! Online. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  42. ^ "Rory McIlroy leans on Niall Horan for par threes but his one direction is up". the Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  43. ^ "Watch Niall Horan Fall Over While Working as a Golf Caddy | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  44. ^ "Niall Horan Hilariously Falling Over On A Golf Course Will Make Your Day". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  45. ^ "Niall Horan's hosting a charity gala with golfer fella Justin Rose". Sugarscape. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  46. ^ Alex Bywater. "One Direction star Niall Horan writes song with golf ace Justin Rose as duo enjoy charity songwriting session". Instagram. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
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