Highly anticipated and well attended, singer Niall Horan’s address to Trinity College Law Society (LawSoc) was the event of the week. With spaces at the Zoom event filling up within hours of its announcement, hundreds more watched the stream on Facebook Live. Even I, a self-proclaimed clinomaniac, managed to drag myself out of bed for the 12pm event. The interview-style discussion was led by Jonathon Boylan, auditor of LawSoc, who Horan fans would later “stan” on Twitter.
Joining the call from his lavish London home, Horan was friendly and honest from the get-go. He began by thanking the society for “thinking of [him]”, admitting that he was “blown away” upon receiving the news. One would think that Horan, who has received American Music Awards, iHeart Radio Awards and many more, would not think of the Praeses Elit as such a big deal, but both his parents had texted him that morning expressing their pride, he told attendees.
Some questioned the relevance of Horan’s receipt of the award, but Boylan said that the Praeses Elit is for people who “empower students in their everyday lives”, and Horan “not only meets the requirements but exceeds them”. Boylan wished to bestow this award upon Horan “in recognition of his incredible talent and work ethic which is famously underscored by his distinct humility despite unthinkable success”.
Although his primary residence is now in the United States, Horan, who was born and bred in Mullingar, County Westmeath, said that he is proud to always carry a “distinct Irishness”, as Boylan put it. “I love being an ambassador for our great country”, said Horan.
Having shot to stardom on the X Factor, Horan described the journey as “mind-blowing”. “One minute I’m at home in Mullingar and, before I knew it, I was with some of the biggest stars in the world”, he recalled. “When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was sing, play gigs and write songs and things like that, but no one is ever ready for that sort of level [of fame] I don’t think – and if they say they are, then they know something that we don’t”, said Horan.
When asked about how he dealt with the sudden fame, Horan replied: “Just taking it as it came, I suppose. There’s no book for it. We were lucky that we were surrounded by great people and great management. I had great support. I’m not sure if all artists have that.” Of course, the “we” Horan is referring to here is himself and his four bandmates – Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik.
Boylan identified Horan’s fans as a major part of his journey, joking that he had become acquainted with their passion since the announcement of the event. He asked Horan what it’s like dealing with such intense adoration and how he manages to remain humble. “Know where you came from and don’t let it get to your head”, Horan advised, adding that it’s in his nature to “just take it as it comes”.
The onset of the pandemic forced Horan to postpone his world tour, which he’d started designing the stage for aboard “on a plane back from the European Music Awards last year”. “We’d rehearsed the whole setlist up until the end of February”, he said. “We were very excited to see the fans and give them a chance to hear the album that they just bought”.
Then worldwide lockdowns were put in place. “I can’t really complain about it. I would’ve loved to have toured but there’s a lot more than me going on in the world.” Managing to find the positives, he added: “I’ve really enjoyed the time off as I’ve been living out of a suitcase for the past 10 years.”
Boylan asked about Horan’s business ventures, such as his golfing management company which he runs alongside his music career. “Music will always be number one, I’m obsessed, but it’s nice to have something like [his company] on the side”, said Horan. “Golf is something I obviously love.” Horan knew a lot of young golfers who were complaining about poor management and felt his connections, paired with his passion for golf, could solve these issues. “It was tough starting a management company like that because I’m going into a world that’s existed and to them I’m just some dude from a boy band, so it was hard to put my foot down and let them know I was there and let them know I was taking it seriously”, he said.
Lastly, Boylan asked the question we’ve all been dying for an answer to: Will One Direction ever get back together? Horan brushed off the question with a laugh, joking that Boylan was “the only interviewer ever” to ask that.
The half-hour interview is available to watch back on TCD LawSoc’s Facebook page.
