Niall Horan becomes first One Direction member to release music as he announces solo single This Town
We can reveal the 1D hunk is getting ready to release This Town
NIALL Horan has just stunned the music world by becoming the first existing member of One Direction to release a solo single.
And now I can reveal the amazing details behind the song, titled This Town, which he has been keeping under wraps for months.
This is no teaser track from Niall – it is his first official single as a solo artist and the launch of his new, post-1D career.
After signing a big-money deal with Capitol Records in the States, Niall has also penned a deal with Virgin EMI in the UK – joining some of the world’s biggest stars on their roster, including Katy Perry,
Rihanna and Paul McCartney.
The Irish star has pulled off a sensational coup by recruiting super-producer Greg Kurstin – the man behind Adele’s huge comeback hit Hello – to mastermind the track.
Greg, 47, has six Grammy nominations to his name and also produced Lily Allen’s The Fear, Ellie Goulding’s Burn and Sia’s Chandelier.
Niall’s surprise release will come as a huge blow to his fellow 1D stars Harry Styles and Liam Payne, who are both in the process of plotting their own solo careers.
My source revealed: “Niall has been building up to this moment for months and was keeping it top secret.
“He didn’t want lots of hype around his music and instead wanted something aimed directly at the One Direction fans.
“Releasing first before any of his other band mates is a huge sign of his intent.
“All artists now release their new singles on Friday but Niall has deliberately gone one day before to make his launch an event in itself.
“He is taking his solo career very seriously and is in a strong place under Capitol in the US and Virgin EMI over here.
“The music is the most important thing to Niall which is why he wanted to make sure he got to work with the best songwriters out there.
“Greg Kurstin is one of the most sought-after producers in the industry and getting him on board was a real masterstroke.
“Niall hopes Greg’s magic will pay off like it did for Adele on Hello.”
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As well as releasing the track on Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music, Niall has treated fans to a stripped-down version of This Town in a ‘1 Mic 1 Take’ video on Vevo, which was filmed at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.
He co-wrote the single with songwriters Mike Needle, Daniel Bryer and Jamie Scott, the latter of whom was responsible for One Direction’s hits Story Of My Life, Night Changes and Drag Me Down.
The star thanked 1D’s fans as he spoke about his solo move for the first time.
He said: “I'm excited to announce I have signed a record deal with Capitol Records USA and released my first solo song.
“Thank you to all the One Direction fans for your love and support as always.
“I'm looking forward to the next part of this journey together.”
Zayn Malik became the first member of One Direction to go solo earlier this year – but only after quitting the band in March 2015.
Since 1D parted ways last year, Niall, Harry and Liam have all signed separate solo deals, while Louis Tomlinson has set up his own record label with boss Simon Cowell.
But Niall’s quick move will shock fans who were expecting Harry to launch his solo career before the rest after giving his first interview this week in a cover shoot for Another Man magazine.
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