13 years ago, Niall Horan performed on the X-Factor stage for the first time, sparking his lifelong career in the music industry, and thus the spotlight of fame. Following the release of his second studio album, “Heartbreak Weather,” on March 13, 2020, and the cancellation of any tour he may have hoped to do, Horan has been working hard over the last three years to produce his best album yet.  

On Jan. 24, 2023, the singer tweeted out a link to a cryptic website, at the time depicting a slowly melting candle. Two days later, the candle was completely melted and Horan announced his single, “Heaven,” releasing on Feb. 17. Fans were absolutely ecstatic, this being the first song they’d gotten from the singer in two years. They even got clips of him singing his new song on The Voice, where he’s a judge this season. 

Fans were given an even bigger announcement just two days before the release of “Heaven.” On Feb. 15, people logged onto Twitter for another day of scrolling and liking tweets when Niall Horan announced that his newest album “The Show” is going to be released on June 9. Just 48 hours later “Heaven” came out, skyrocketing the excitement for the album. 

The track begins with a beautiful harmony similar to that of an angelic choir descending from the sky. It’s then followed by a bouncy electric guitar rhythm, bringing in Horan’s signature love for the instrument, and a recognizable drum beat that introduces a 70s inspiration to his discography. The song itself is a beautiful love letter to his girlfriend, claiming that their love would change Heaven forever if they broke up: ‘and even if our love starts to grow out of control / and you and me go up in flames / Heaven won’t be the same.’ 

The lyrics include metaphors of light, fire and candles, making the candle promotion a lot clearer. “Heaven” is a great song to listen to in the company of someone you love, whether that be spending a summer day at the beach or just driving at sunset with the windows rolled down. 

After a couple of weeks of streaming the song and rewatching the music video for it, Horan tweeted out a picture releasing the whole tracklist for “The Show,” as well as posting a surprise TikTok with snippets of each song. These songs include the title track “The Show,” “If You Leave Me,” “On A Night Like Tonight” and “You Could Start A Cult.” 

Additionally, “Meltdown” is the third song on the tracklist, and is the second single released for “The Show.” Announced on April 13, “Meltdown” has an entirely different meaning behind it. Said in a note Horan posted on social media, the song is written for fans who struggle with mental health and is a reminder that through everything, they’ll always have him. 

“Meltdown” captures what it’s like to have those racing thoughts and moments where everything is, well, melting down around you. The song has a quick beat to it, then transitions to the chorus where it’s a little bit calmer, representing how fans feel listening to his songs. 

Horan has taken inspiration from music he listened to when he was younger, incorporating a 70s-type feel into his songs, as well as life around him in the pandemic. For instance, “You Could Start a Cult” was inspired by his and his girlfriend’s mutual love of true crime documentaries. He found inspiration for the name of the album from the pandemic itself, as the situation reminded him of “The Truman Show,” feeling as if everything was a false reality. 

With the incredible backing and forefront vocals, rock guitars, drum beats and catchy tunes of all the songs, fans are waiting on the edges of their seats for a tour announcement to hear Horan live. His summer is full of different festivals he’s performing at, so the tour for the album will have to wait until afterward, but fans have numerous opportunities to see him May through the beginning of September. 

The singer, and the rest of the world, learned a lot because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the album is going to be a great representation of that. Through many Instagram lives and more time spent on social media, Horan developed a deeper connection to his fans during the lockdown. Additionally, he spent a lot of time with his girlfriend, developing their relationship into what it is today. “The Show” is posing the question, if the pandemic never happened, would we be where we are today? 

Niall Horan’s third studio album, “The Show,” is a love anthology to his girlfriend, fans and the world itself. The album of the summer will be out everywhere on June 9.