Niall Horan Covers Julia Michaels’ “Issues” For BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge

Alexis Hodoyan-Gastelum | June 8, 2017 2:25 pm
Niall Horan's Shirtless Sing-Along
Niall Horan delighted fans with a shirtless sing-along to new single "Slow Hands."

BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge gives artists the opportunity to cover a song from one their contemporaries with a full studio at their disposal. Niall Horan is the latest pop star to drop by and he delivered an acoustic rendition of Julia Michaels’ breakout hit “Issues.” The singer reworked the downtempo track to fit his coffee house-rock aesthetic and it worked beautifully. After the fall of One Direction, Horan has branded himself of the guitar playing, soft crooner that the music industry didn’t know it was missing and this cover is right on brand.

While the intimacy in the original version comes from a shy yet flirty place, Horan’s is straightforward and raw. He makes it his own, sounding like a completely different song, by bringing a full band into the mix. Michaels’ was all for it though, tweeting her support of the cover. Niall also performed “Slow Hands,” which is currently top 5 on iTunes and shaping up to be one of the biggest 1D solo hits to date. Watch his cover of “Issues” up top and see Julia’s response below along with his other live performance.

Julia loved Niall’s cover:

“Slow Hands” live:

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