Niall Horan Went From Irish Boy to Irishman — See the Former One Direction Hunk’s Epic Transformation

Hi, baby Niall! The Irish lad was absolutely adorable as a child, as you can tell by his sweet little costume. This and several other baby photos made an appearance on The X Factor back when Niall competed as a band with 1D.

2010

In 2010, Niall and his bandmates were all in their mid to late teens — and they looked it. The blond boy had the sweetest face of them all, especially with those braces. We’re nostalgic AF.

2011

Once the band took off in 2011, the boys dealt with their fame head-on and the Mullingar native continued to be the cutest boy in the band. Don’t you wanna pinch those cheeks?

He was also figuring out his style, as they all were. It made for some interesting looks, like this overalls ‘fit Niall was spotted in that year.

2012

When the boys went on the Up All Night tour back in 2012, they played into their younger appeal in distinct khaki and polo or button-up combos. The tour ‘fits were similar to their album art and music videos, clearly keeping in the theme.

Niall also went back and forth between an intense blond ‘do during the One Direction years (if you didn’t know, he’s actually a natural brunette). Sometimes it was more bleached out than others, but he kept what became his signature quiff at all times.

2013

Once the boys released their third album, Midnight Memories, they started to grow into themselves a bit more. Niall filled out and started to really look his age.

Like, look at this kid. There’s no surprise millions of gals all over the world wanted to give him a smooch. Plus, with fame comes money — and a stylist. In this pic, Niall is wearing a Saint Laurent jacket, a far cry from the polos of a few years back.

2014

Plus, once 2014 hit, Niall started to get a little more buff, too. At this point, something had us thinking these boys were going to age like fine wine. (Luckily, we were not wrong.)

Seriously, though. Those arms.

2015

2015 became the beginning of the end for the band — but the end of the beginning for all the lads as far as becoming who they were meant to be as adults. Niall continued to shape his personal and profession style (love a white suit jacket), as well as …

Picking up golf! The Irish guy looked pretty grown up while teeing off a PGA Championship in the U.K. that year.

He also started taking a few more risks as far as accessories go. The round-rimmed glasses became a favorite of his, though pulling them out selectively for moments like this one. What a red carpet look.

2016

Once the band went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 (RIP, our hearts and souls), the guys had a lot more free time on their hands … well, until they all decided to be solo artists. In the meantime, Niall took on a few soccer games and worked on his first album.

He also continued to make appearances and keep himself in the public eye as he worked on new music, which was great for us because we got to see how much cuter he got with every outing. Plus, he finally went back to brown hair, the last remaining piece of his 1D fame disappearing before our eyes.

2017

In 2017, he started performing and putting himself out there as a solo artist — and brought a few hats with him, like this one he wore while playing the Today show.

It was like all of a sudden, once the blond hair of yesteryear was gone, the guy when from Irish boy to Irishman real quick.

2018

Knee deep in his solo career and the buzz of his first album, Niall started growing a beard. Yes, it’s important enough to note … because it was a super hot idea.

2019

And that brings us to 2019, where Niall stands before us, a whole different guy than when we first met him. We guess that’s growing up, but it doesn’t make us any less emotional, y’all.

With two solo albums under his belt, it’s clear the “Nice to Meet Ya” singer is unstoppable — and is only just getting started when it comes to making his mark in the music industry.

2020

The boy is only going to get better and better as he continues to grow as a solo artist and we can’t wait to see the rest of his journey. Besides, his transformation thus far is already top notch.