In 2010, one of the world’s most beloved boy bands was born out of “The X Factor” and the lives of its members — Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and the late Liam Payne — changed forever. Fifteen years later, Horan, now a solo artist and coach on “The Voice,” is opening up about how hard it was to maintain any sense of privacy at the time.
On November 3, 2025, Horan made his first podcast appearance in two years on “The Good, The Bad & The Football.” In addition to diving into his love of sports, Horan shared fascinating insights about becoming so famous and the sacrifices he made to protect his private life.
Niall Horan Says He Didn’t Leave His Hotel Rooms for 5 Years
Even at the height of One Direction’s fame, Horan said on the podcast that he was determined not to let it go to his head, explaining, “The way I was brought up, I was never going to get, like, too big for me boots. I’m sure I did it in some shape or form, but like, I tried my best to try and keep me keep things private outside of work.”
That often meant staying isolated. Although Horan traveled the world with One Direction, he admitted on the podcast that he never really saw the cities he visited.
He said, “My whole life was very private and there was periods where I literally didn’t leave, I’d say for five years, I didn’t leave a hotel once.”
“I mean, it was tough,” Horan admitted. “But we spent a lot of time on tour and you’d go — you were in every city in the world and see none of them.”
During one tour stop in Peru, he recalled that he and the guys wanted to visit a shopping mall but had to stay in their hotel after police told them 10,000 fans had gathered outside just to get a glimpse of them.
Niall Horan Says One Direction Had to Quickly Adjust to Overnight Success
GettyHoran also told the podcast hosts — football stars Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes and comedian Paddy McGuinness — that he and his bandmates had to adjust to overnight success on the fly.
“Usually a musician has a slow build in their career, it takes a while to get going,” he noted. “But our first appearance was on national television to 10 million people and from there it was just arenas or stadiums.”
Horan continued, “We had a good crew around us. We felt like we were in our bubble. … We never really knew how big it was. Even though we were standing there on stage looking out, we were just in this little bubble. And it was only afterwards, looking back in.”
Horan currently appears on “The Voice” season 28, airing Monday nights on NBC.
It’s so sad that great stars have to hide away for privacy but on the other hand the stars should respect their fans and do either a scheduled autograph session or some type of a fan event like Nascar does
Oh poor baby!