Niall Horan is the next member of One Direction to go solo with release of ‘This Town’

And the next member of One Direction to go solo is Niall Horan.

Horan surprised fans Thursday morning by releasing his debut single, “This Town,” to streaming platforms and confirming a solo deal with Capitol Records.

Produced by hit-maker Greg Kurstin, the guitar ballad is a tender, swoon-worthy number that makes a strong bid at breaking him away from the fluffier fringes of boy-band stardom without straying too far from the recent work he did with 1D.

“Waking up to kiss you and nobody’s there / The smell of your perfume still stuck in the air / It’s hard, yesterday I thought I saw your shadow running round / It’s funny how things never change in this old town / So far from the stars,” he sings.

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Horan wrote the record with Jamie Scott, Mike Needle and Daniel Bryer and its release was accompanied with a more stripped-down version as well. Last November, Horan and the rest of One Direction released “Made in the A.M.” The album, the group’s fifth, was the first release since former member Zayn Malik departed.

Ahead of the album’s release, the group announced it would go on hiatus and “Made in the A.M.” would be its last for a while — though with every solo project announcement, one must wonder whether the guys will be able to commit to a reunion.

Since the group’s 2011 debut “Up All Night,” One Direction has issued a new album every November and gone on a supporting tour afterward. The group didn’t tour behind the new album.

Although eyes had long been on Harry Styles to be the first to break out as a solo act from One Direction, the de facto centerpiece of the group was beat by Malik, whose debut of moody R&B album “Mind of Mine” was released earlier this year via RCA.

Capitol didn’t announce further details about Horan’s debut album.

“Thank you to all the One Direction fans for your love and support as always,” Horan said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to the next part of this journey together.”

For more music news follow me on Twitter:@GerrickKennedy