You might know Niall Horan from his songs all over the radio, however, you can't forget that he once was a member of One Direction. Horan has been in the spotlight since he first auditioned on the hit UK show, The X Factor. Simon Cowell and his fellow judges saw something in Horan, as they moved him on and eventually paired him with four other boys looking to make their dreams come true, and One Direction was born.
There’s a lot we might not know about Horan outside One Direction, so here’s a little look into his life. These are ten little-known facts about One Direction’s Niall Horan.
10 He Originally Auditioned For X-Factor As A Solo Artist
Way back in 2010, Niall Horan decided that he was going to audition for The X Factor. At the time, he was just 16 years old when he sang for Simon Cowell and the other judges. He sang "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, and we even admit that it wasn't the best sounding audition, but Simon Cowell saw something in Horan and voted for him to move on the next round.
Unfortunately for Horan, he didn't make it much further as a solo artist after that. Little did he know, though, that being told no would be the best thing that would ever happen to him.
9 Nicole Scherzinger Suggested Niall Join A Band
Even though Niall Horan made it through on The X Factor, he wasn't quite up to standard to move on. As a result, they sent him to the "X Factor Bootcamp" where they would work with Horan where he was struggling performing.
Yet again, the judges saw something in Horan that made them want to keep him. Nicole Scherzinger, a guest judge that season, liked what she saw in Horan, and suggested that he along with some of the other contestants with potential team up to form a band. And that's how One Direction was born.
8 He Taught Himself Two Instruments
Obviously, Horan is a very talented musician — he was in a world-famous boyband and is now a successful solo artist, after all. He can play two instruments, the guitar and the piano.
When he was 12 years old, he picked up the guitar for the first time, where he would spend hours trying to teach himself how to play. He eventually got so good that he even played guitar for One Direction. He also taught himself the piano by playing guitar chords and trying to match it up on the piano.
7 He Had To Miss His Own Prom
When you're in a world-famous, up-and-coming boyband, you really don't have time to think about anything else. When Horan was just getting started in One Direction, he focused on all of his time and energy into making One Direction into the successful boyband that they eventually became.
As a result, Horan had to miss out on a lot of coming-of-age events. He didn't graduate high school with the rest of his classmates, nor did he have the rite of passage that everyone else gets to experience when you graduate, and that's prom. Unfortunately, Horanl didn't get to attend his own prom, but he was most likely doing more fun things with One Direction.
6 He Started Modest! Golf Management
Niall Horan has one other passion in this world besides music and that's golf. As a result, Horan started Modest! Golf Management, which he created to find talented young players to become the next generation and face of the game.
The company finds new players and works with them to help further their careers and manage them in the golf world and beyond. Horan already has quite a list of athletes under Modest! Golf Management and he's looking to continue to grow over the years.
5 He Founded The Horan And Rose Gala
Niall Horan is a very charitable person and always has been since the start of his career. In 2016, along with golfer Justin Rose, Horan started an event known as the Horan and Rose Gala in which he combined his love for golf and music together to raise money for childhood cancer.
The event raised thousands of dollars for the organization, Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People, which researches cancer that affects 0 to 24-year-olds. Horan has hosted the event multiple times and has raised over £1 million for the charity.
4 He's Naturally A Brunette
From the moment that Niall Horan entered our lives on The X Factor and as a member of One Direction, we've known him to be blond. It made him stand out from the rest of the boys in One Direction, as he was the only blond one.
Little did fans know, the blond boy that they've come to know and love wasn't actually blond at all. Horan had been dying his hair blond for years, and once One Direction went on their little hiatus, he stopped and showed his natural brunette color.
3 He Had Major Reconstructive Surgery On His Knee
Since the beginning of One Direction, Horan has been known to have problems with his knee. He originally hurt his kneecap when he was playing soccer when he was younger, but due to grueling touring and working when in One Direction, Horan made the injury worse.
Fans would oftentimes see Horan wearing a brace whenever he performed. As a result, in early 2014, he had major knee surgery to repair torn ligaments and took some time off between tours with the band in order to recuperate.
2 He Has A Few Famous Exes
Being in a famous boyband means you constantly have girls — both famous and not famous — fall at your feet. Over the years, Niall Horan has had quite a few relationships with some famous names. Although he's one that tends to keep his dating life on the down-low, the news about said relationships got out at some point.
Horan had a bit of a fling with British singer Ellie Goulding for a while, as well as Selena Gomez. One of Horan's longest relationships was with none other than Hailee Steinfeld — she even wrote a breakup song about him.
1 He Was In A Love Triangle With Ed Sheeran
When Ed Sheeran released his hit song, "Don't," there was a lot of speculation as to who the song was about. Rumors swirled that Ed wrote the lyrics about Niall Horan and British singer Ellie Goulding.
Both men had a thing for Goulding, and Sheeran was with her first. Little did he know, that right under his nose, Goulding and Horan were also hooking up. Sheeran later revealed that the rumors were true and that writing the song helped him get over Horan betraying the bro-code, and the girl he liked hooking up with someone else.