Welcome to The Show! Niall Horan‘s third album is (almost) here, and the singer is releasing tons of new songs more than three years after his Heartbreak Weather record dropped in March 2020.
“This album is a piece of work I’m so proud of and now it’s time to pass it over to you to go and make it your own,” Niall shared via Instagram on February 15, announcing The Show album. “Thank you so much for being there for me all this time and I can’t wait to share the next couple of years of this new era with you. I’ve missed you all so much. It’s good to be back.”
Ahead of the record’s released on Friday, June 9, Niall released his single “Heaven,” which appeared to be about his longtime girlfriend, Amelia Wooley.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that society loves to pressure us into reaching certain milestones by a certain age,” the Ireland native shared of the song in a press release upon its February drop. “Whether that’s getting married or anything else that really should be based on our own instincts. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to let go of those expectations and just follow my heart. The chorus of this song is saying that what I have in my life currently is amazing. So, it would be crazy to ruin that by giving into outside pressures.”
Discussing the story behind The Show, the “Slow Hands” crooner told Rolling Stone U.K. ahead of its release that the album was “a metaphor for life,” especially when it comes to the title.
“When there’s no heartbreak [to write about], you have to come up with a different concept,” Niall explained to the publication. “I realized quite quickly that what I wanted to talk about was the ups and downs and good and bad of life. That’s The Show.”
For his music specifically, the former One Direction member doesn’t want to be put in a genre box, explaining that he feels that music should be universally enjoyed.
“These are the things that go on in my head when I’m writing,” he added during the Rolling Stone U.K. interview. “I don’t want to alienate anyone, and I don’t want to be introspective to the point where I ruin it for everyone. So, if they can connect to it too, then we all get what we want out of this.”
Scroll through our gallery for a breakdown of Niall’s The Show album.
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