The Irish singer-songwriter says he had a “fear” of getting mobbed by fans.
In a wide-ranging conversation as part of JOE’s Unfiltered podcast, Niall Horan discussed how he “became a recluse” at the height of his former band One Direction’s fame.
As part of the interview – which coincided with the release of Horan’s new album The Show – the Irish singer-songwriter was asked by JOE UK’s Oli Dugmore how the immense level of fame One Direction achieved changed his life.
The musician responded:
“I think at the height of 1D, in hindsight, I probably could have gone more places, but… there were periods where you’d go out and you wouldn’t get five yards outside the door and there’d be cars pulling over on the street and countryside or you’d go into the pub and everyone is looking at you.
“I remember one time, I stupidly went to Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush and honestly, swear to God, I was like: ‘I’m going to die in here. I’m never getting out of here.’ It was like Shaun of the Dead.
“It was probably the fear of that that kept me in. I probably became a bit of a recluse in ways… I’d say 2012, ’13, that kind of world, ’14 maybe as well.”
"I thought I was going to die in Westfield."@NiallOfficial says at the height of One Direction's fame he became a "recluse" for fear of being mobbed in public.
Listen to Unfiltered with @OliDugmore: https://t.co/bpfTch2EH2 pic.twitter.com/rmEV3a9hAc
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) June 10, 2023
Horan explained that there was a period where if someone asked him if he wanted to go out to get coffee or lunch, he would have responded “absolutely not”.
“It was probably all in my head. I like became a recluse because of the thought of going out when I probably could have because, in hindsight, now I’m able to live the most normal life that I could possibly live in the scenario I’m in,” he added.
You can watch the full interview with Horan as part of JOE’s Unfiltered podcast right here:
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