Niall Horan recreates cringe-worthy first ‘X Factor’ audition
The singer was just 16 at the time
MUSIC Niall horan
Niall Horan was just 16 when he auditioned for ‘The X Factor’ in 2010. Fast forward eight years, and Horan is a global star, with chart-topping singles around the world. However, Horan was not able to escape his beginnings in a new interview.
The singer sat down with Nick Grimshaw on BBC Radio 1, facing tough questions about his career beginnings. “I’ve never seen you guys do your original auditions, like I never watched it back”, said Grimshaw. When he heard that, Niall had his head in his hands, knowing what was to come. “Don’t put your head in your hands it’s a key moment”, said Nick. “Can you not play it now?”, pleaded Niall. “No, we’re gonna play it now”, confirmed the host.
Then, Nick played Nile’s first audition, where he sang ‘So Sick’ by Ne-Yo. “Who made me sing this song? Me, I picked this song, I love this song but...”, Horan jokes. The singer was challenged to remember the lyrics. Despite some obvious nerves, Horan powered through hitting all the right notes. “I’ve just written a folky type album and I sang that as my first audition, dressed as a tablecloth”, Niall laughed. His debut album, ‘Flicker’, was released last October. The record abandoned One Direction's poppy sound, and went in a more acoustic and folk-inspired direction.