Niall Horan marked the 10th anniversary of his debut solo single “This Town” with a nostalgic Instagram post on Tuesday (Sept. 29), sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the song’s early days. The singer-songwriter recalled the moment he released the track after One Direction’s 2015 hiatus, calling it a song that changed how fans saw him.
“‘This Town’ was released 10 years ago today,” Horan wrote in the caption. “It was the first song I released out on my own and it’s so special to me for many reasons.”
Behind the Scenes
Horan celebrated the milestone by posting a carousel of images from the song’s creation. Among them was a look at how the single’s artwork was captured on a Polaroid camera, a nod to the stripped-down, intimate approach that defined the track. The singer also reflected on the contrast between “This Town” and the pop productions surrounding it at the time.
He described a moment when “a lot of big pop songs with big productions” surrounded the song’s release. Instead, “This Town” was structured simply, around one voice and an acoustic guitar — a relatively bare-bones introduction to him as a solo artist. The choice was deliberate, and Horan’s description of the surrounding pop productions suggests he understood the song stood apart from them.
The Chart Run
“This Town” debuted at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2016. That first week, it had only one day of sales and streaming to be actively counted in its rankings. The song climbed to No. 25 the following week before reaching its No. 20 peak in January 2017.
The climb from No. 63 to No. 20 was steady rather than explosive. The song arrived with one day of sales and streaming counted, grew slowly, and reached its No. 20 peak in January 2017.
Fans Singing It Back
The sound of fans singing the song back to him years later is the true measure of its success, according to Horan. He celebrated the song’s reach across platforms, noting that it has accumulated over a billion streams.
“To reach over a billion streams and see you all singing it back to me all these years later, is absolutely unbelievable,” he wrote.
The anniversary post also included a teaser for more to come. Horan hinted that he has “a few special things” in the works to mark the occasion, suggesting the 10th birthday of “This Town” is not quite over yet.
The Anniversary Post
Horan signed off his tribute with a simple message: “It was my song and now it’s ours.” He closed with a note wishing the song well on its anniversary.
“It was my song and now it’s ours,” Horan concluded, adding “happy 10 years of ‘This Town.'”
Chart Numbers
- Debut position: No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100
- First week: one day of sales and streaming counted
- Second week: climbed to No. 25
- Peak: No. 20, reached in January 2017
It was his song, and now it’s ours.
Source material: “Niall Horan Celebrates As ‘This Town’ Turns 10: ‘It Was My Song & Now It’s Ours’,” Billboard.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.