Just days after landing her fourth No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Drop Dead,” Olivia Rodrigo is now getting major recognition from Niall Horan.
In a recent conversation with Rolling Stone published April 30, the former One Direction member shared insight into how he approaches songwriting, highlighting the comeback of bridges in pop and pointing to Rodrigo as a key influence behind it.
“It’s great to hear [bridges]. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo has been a big influence on that for pop writers,” the Irish artist said, before singing part of the “Drivers License” bridge. “What I like about Olivia’s music is [that] you feel like you’re getting one song and then you get a completely different song. It completely flips on its head musically, goes somewhere different, brings you to a bridge, brings you to some weird musical breakdown thing. Whatever [she] and Dan Nigro are up to is a good little team they’ve got going there. It’s definitely influencing people, including myself.”
Horan also spoke at length about his upcoming project Dinner Party, set to arrive June 5 through Capitol Records. He has already released two tracks from the record, including the title cut and “Little More Time,” both produced alongside Afterhrs, John Ryan and Julian Bunetta. The album rollout will be paired with an extensive 22-date tour across Europe, Ireland and the U.K. The Irish singer’s new release follows 2023’s The Show, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. During the interview, Horan also mentioned that his next era leans more into rock elements, something he connects back to his long-standing love for bands like Blink-182.
“That drum sound is something that we were trying to chase, and that comes from that late-’90s, early-2000s punk-rock era,” he said. “Rock’s been a big influence in my life since I was a child. I write pop songs, but dressing them up in a different way sometimes is quite cool. And now, the way my career is going, I’m completely thinking about live shows all the time. I learned so much from being on the road and being out there every night. There’s only so much sitting on Spotify you can do and reading comments before you actually get an idea of what people actually think. You can see it in the room. The rockier stuff really goes off at the shows.”
The “Slow Hands” hitmaker also has two U.S. stadium dates lined up for this year. Joining longtime friend and Grammy-nominated country artist Thomas Rhett, Horan is set to perform at GEODIS Park in Nashville on July 9 and Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania on July 19, with Live Nation handling promotion for both shows. Kashus Culpepper and Emily Ann Roberts will open the concerts. With such a packed touring schedule, all four remaining members of One Direction are expected to be on the road with new music this year. When asked about attending his former bandmates’ shows, Horan gave praise to Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.
“I went to Harry’s show a couple of years ago, and that was just wild. Madness going on there,” he said. “It reminded me of the 1D stadium shows where it was just seas of people jumping up and down. Watching the things going on on the floor, all the fans dancing around, I love that. You feel a sense of pride watching the boys doing what they love to do, and the communities that they’re able to create. I’m going to try and get to a Louis show of some capacity in the next few weeks.”
Horan is now the fourth One Direction member to drop a new album this year. Tomlinson released How Did I Get Here? in January, Styles hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally in March, and ZAYN followed with Konnakol earlier this month on April 17.
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Barry Keoghan has responded to speculation that he was unfaithful to Sabrina Carpenter while they were together, calling the claim “a narrative that’s not true”.
Their relationship first sparked talk in September 2023, before they were seen together publicly for the first time at a Grammys after-party the following February. After that, they appeared side by side at the MET Gala, Carpenter referenced his well-known Saltburn moment during Coachella 2024, and the The Banshees of Inisherin star featured in the video for her popular track ‘Please Please Please’.
Reports later suggested the pair had gone their separate ways in December 2024, with cheating rumours circulating at the same time. The actor then spoke out online about what he described as “disgusting” behaviour from some users, saying his name had “been dragged across the internet”.
Now, following a short break away from the spotlight, he has given a fresh interview where he strongly rejected claims that he had been unfaithful during the relationship.
While speaking with Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky, and Kristin Batalucco on their Friends Keep Secrets video podcast, he described the clips spreading online rumours as “absolutely disgusting and vile”, adding that the situation created what he felt was a “very unfair” environment.
He went on to explain that the situation made him feel like he needed to “disappear”, saying: “I have been avoiding stuff. I came off Instagram and social profiles. I stopped going to events. I’ve stopped just socialising.”
“It’s because there was a narrative out there that was never really even spoken on, a narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. I just disappeared,” he added, before one of the hosts asked him to clarify what exactly he was referring to.
“It’s that I cheated. I don’t want to ever bring anyone else into it, but unfortunately, having a relationship in the public eye, it’s we all know this from our own stories it gets put out there,” he replied, without directly mentioning Carpenter by name.
“I don’t want to bring anyone else into it,” he continued. “I’m not asking for people to become my fan and like me, because that’s not normal either, but I’m asking for people to stop assuming and to stop jumping on this narrative, attacking me, and dragging me down in any way you can.”
The 33 year old Oscar nominee shares a three year old son with a previous partner, and has previously been open about a difficult upbringing that included time in foster care. His mother passed away when he was 12 after dealing with addiction.
“[It’s] just absolutely disgusting and vile,” he said, referring to clips he has come across online “involving my parents” and claiming that they “hate him”.
“Because for someone who went through a lot and I’m not saying this for a pity card but why is it cool to hop on and beat somebody who’s come from a lot?,” he said.
“Stuff I’ve seen as a kid and shit that I have to fight every day and do a lot of therapy. I went through addiction myself and I am in sobriety and battle all of that. To then want to drag that person…”
The actor also appeared to touch on how Carpenter referenced their breakup on her seventh studio album ‘Man’s Best Friend’. The lead single ‘Manchild’, for instance, includes lyrics about unreliable men, which led some listeners to assume it was aimed at Keoghan.
She later addressed the reaction during a conversation with Gayle King on CBS Mornings last September, acknowledging that her music had contributed to him receiving “a lot of backlash”, but adding that she believes “most of the time, past boyfriends been pretty flattered when they get a song written about them, good or bad.”
Referring again to the speculation linked to ‘Man’s Best Friend’, Keoghan said that “a girl made a video” discussing their relationship, but later posted another clip saying “Sorry for making that up”, although he pointed out that “no one seemed to latch onto” that follow up.
Alongside the Friends Keep Secrets appearance, Keoghan has previously urged for more understanding online, and shared on The Louis Theroux Podcast that he has been hurt by accusations suggesting he is not present as a father.
He later reinforced that message in a post, writing: “Each and every day I work harder to push myself on every level to be the healthiest and strongest person for that boy I need you to remember he has to read ALL of this about his father when he is older. Please be respectful to all.”
More recently, he revealed that comments targeting his looks have made him feel reluctant to leave the house.
The actor is widely recognised for his performances in Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin, and the upcoming Peaky Blinders film. He is also set to portray Ringo Starr in a forthcoming four part biopic series about The Beatles, appearing alongside Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison.
