One Direction member, Niall Horan decides to continue his singing career while the boy band is on hiatus. The singer releases his first ever single as a solo artist.

One Direction may be taking a break as a boy band but that does not mean the members cannot pursue individual careers. In fact, Horan, one of the 1D members, decided to continue his singing career as a solo artist.

The 23-year-old singer has beat fellow members, Harry Styles and Liam Payne in launching their solo careers. For a time, Styles was believed to be the first to takeoff as an individual singer.

The Irish singer-songwriter, however, surprised the Directioners and people the world over after he dropped his first single, "This Town," on Sept. 29, told TIME.

"This Town" is a guitar ballad, almost folk, similar to the One Direction's earlier songs that pulled the heartstrings like "Little Things." The lyrics also have a dash of Ed Sheeran in the sense that they resonate small town storytelling. The song focuses on unsaid words to a love lost.

Greg Kurstin, Sia's collaborator, produced Horan's single. Niall co-wrote the lyrics with Daniel Bryer, Mike Needle and Jamie Scott.

As reported by Rolling Stone, the release of this new single comes with the official announcement that Horan and Capitol Records signed into a deal that will launch his solo career.

In a statement by the 1D member, he said, "Thank you to all the One Direction fans for your love and support as always. I am looking forward to the next part of this journey together."

One Direction went on hiatus after the release of their fifth album, "Made in the A.M." They have also made a few tours around Europe before deciding to take some time off in late fall of 2015.

So far, Styles was reported to have signed a contract with Columbia while Payne has also made a deal with Capitol Records. On the other hand, Louis Tomlinson may be busy with daddy duties that launching his individual star is not a priority at the moment.

Tags
Niall Horan, One Direction, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson