Mumbai, Sep 30 — Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan has marked 10 years of his debut solo single ‘This Town’, reflecting on the song’s journey from a simple acoustic track to a global hit with more than a billion streams.
Horan took to Instagram to say the song remains deeply special to him and to thank fans.
Horan said: “This Town was released 10 years ago today. it was the first song i released out on my own and it’s so special to me for many reasons… when i think back i remember a lot of big pop songs with big productions , around at that time.”
“I feel This Town stood out as it was just one voice and an acoustic guitar. after that, you guys all over the world really connected to it and it took on a life of its own…To reach over a billion streams and see you all singing it back to me all these years later , is absolutely unbelievable.”
The singer said he “never really be able to explain how grateful i am for all of this and for your support. a few words on stage, a short caption is not enough words to explain how thankful I am.”
“I’m working on a few special things to celebrate that will be coming very soon. it was my song and now it’s ours happy 10 years of this town,” Niall wrote.
Horan to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition The X Factor. The group released five albums and went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
After the band declared a hiatus in 2016, Horan has since released four albums: Flicker Heartbreak Weather, The Show and Dinner Party. Flicker debuted at number one in Ireland and the US, and reached the top three in Australia and the UK. The album's first two singles, "This Town" and "Slow Hands", reached the top 20 in the UK and US.
Horan has worked as a coach on The Voice.