Niall Horan performed as part of the White House’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Friday. According to reports from the small gathering, he told the crowd, “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
The former One Direction member and Irish native accompanied himself on guitar in the East Room, before an audience that included President Joe Biden, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Niall’s playlist included Heaven, Flicker, This Town and Spancil Hill, which is about emigration.
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“You sure as hell didn’t seem nervous to me,” President Biden said to him afterward, telling him that he was “welcome back anytime” to the White House.
Before his set, Horan quipped to the audience, “If you know the words, sing along. If you don’t, don’t try.”
Biden and Varadkar each spoke of the cooperation between the U.S. and Ireland. The event included the shamrock bowl handover, a tradition that dates back more than 70 years. Biden and Varadkar also marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
In a video Niall and the President jointly shared to social media, the singer smiles into the camera and wishes his fans a happy St. Patrick’s Day, before panning the camera over to Biden. The President then puts his arm around Niall and says, “I’m glad he’s here.”
“I had the absolute honour of being invited to represent my country at the White House for St. Patrick’s Day this past week,” Niall wrote in another Instagram post. “It was one of the most special days of my life. Thank you President Biden and Vice President Harris for having me as part of the celebrations. To be able to say ‘I performed at the White House’ is something I’ll hold dear forever.”
Currently, Niall is a coach on The Voice season 23, sitting next to Chance The Rapper, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton on the panel. He can be seen next on NBC Monday March 20 at 8 pm and Tuesday March 21 at 9 pm for the last of the Blind Auditions.
The singer is set to release his next album The Show on June 9th. The set includes his current single, “Heaven.”
