Niall Horan took the stage at NBC’s Studio 8H and just slayed with his sexy performance! The 26-year-old rocked out for “Nice To Meet Ya” — the lead single from his upcoming album, and we were transported right to a night club for the upbeat tune. Niall slayed his first-ever solo performance as electric blue lights flashed behind him, adding to the fun party vibe. “Nice to meet ya/what’s ya name?/let me treat ya,” he crooned, as he played his guitar live for the crowd. The Irish-born definitely had a fashion moment during the fun performance, sporting a cotton candy pink suit that looked like it was borrowed from Harry Styles‘ closet! He looked like he was having the time of his life rocking out around the stage, and his ear-to-ear grin at the end of the performance said it all!
For his second performance, Niall pared things down for the romantic track “Put A Little Love On Me.” Joined by a pianist and a violinist, the emotional performance showed off Niall’s beautiful and flawless vocals. “Are you all dressed up, and nowhere to go?/It’s Friday night, trying to put on a show,” Niall crooned, as the dimmed down lights added to the vibe. Niall swapped out his pink suit for a muted chocolate brown blazer and complimentary tan pant, which he wore for to close out the episode alongside host Scarlett Johansson. The intimate performance truly made you feel like you were the only one in the room, and if this is a preview of his upcoming tour — we absolutely can’t wait.
The former One Direction member has been counting down to his long-awaited performance, tweeting “Dreams do come true. SNL December 14th, can’t wait @nbcsnl,” alongside his name next to host Scarlett Johannson‘s! While this was Niall’s first-ever solo performance, he has appeared on the sketch series before alongside Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson as 1D back in 2012 and 2014 before they went their separate ways.
Niall has been dropping new music over the last couple of months, including “Nice To Meet Ya” which was a departure from his usual soulful sound! In the upbeat, guitar-heavy track, Niall sings about a new crush — who happens to be played by Australian model Georgia Gibbs, 24, in the video. The lyrics quickly go from being a tale about a crush to locking down a girl that he feels may disappear when the night is over! He performed the song for the first time at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Nov. 3, and we were there for his seductive dance moves and unreal vocals!
The former X Factor star dropped the second single from his album, “Put A Little Love On Me” on Dec. 6, and definitely shows the softer side of Niall! “Just wanted to release this song because I feel like it deserves to be released and I want you to have it now,” he wrote of the track on Twitter, later adding, “I’m jet lagged out of my mind but I couldn’t not stay up to see your reaction to this song. I love this song and I’m glad it’s yours now, can’t wait to play it live on tour for ya!”
Fans can catch Niall live as he hits the road for his 2020 Nice To Meet Ya world tour, which includes shows at Barclay’s Center in New York City on April 29! Lewis Capaldi and Fletcher are also joining him for the show, and tickets are available now!