Niall Horan recalls travelling around Thailand after ‘shock’ of leaving One Direction

The singer opened up about what it was like leaving the world’s biggest boy band

Niall Horan has revealed that the “shock” of leaving One Direction left him unsure of what to do next.

“We were so used to what we did that it had become normal,” he explained in an interview with The Independent. “We were in a bubble. Then someone just went…” He made a popping sound. “And before you know it, you’re sat at home.”

Bandmate Louis Tomlinson has also been vocal about how upset he was when the One Direction hiatus was announced. He likened the experience of being in the band to “a drug”, and said the break-up hit him “like a ton of bricks”.

Straight after the split, Horan went travelling around southeast Asia with his two cousins, backpacking in “s**t hostels”.

“I knew it was coming, the sitting on your arse at home thing,” he said. “I didn’t want to do that, at least not straight away.”

He also spoke about how his friends back home in County Westmeath, Ireland, kept him grounded. “I drink in the pub with the lads, it’s all very simple,” he said.

“We were brought up with nothing, we were always taking the piss out of each other. There’s no room for being a diva. That’s been helpful over the last 10 years.”