Niall Horan Praises Olivia Rodrigo's Influence on Changing the Trend of Writing Pop Songs

Niall Horan (Instagram @niallhoran)

JAKARTA - Irish singer Niall Horan has expressed high appreciation for the significant impact Olivia Rodrigo has brought to the modern pop music industry.

The former One Direction member said the presence of the "drivers license" singer had revived the structure of the song which had begun to be abandoned by many songwriters, especially in the use of strong and experimental bridges.

Horan also revealed his admiration for how Rodrigo and producer Dan Nigro processed the musical composition. According to him, Rodrigo's bold approach gives a new color to today's generation of pop songwriters.

"It's really nice to hear a bridge again. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo has had a big influence on that for pop songwriters," Horan said, citing Rolling Stone, Sunday, May 3.

"The thing I love about Rodrigo's music is that it feels like you're listening to one song, and then suddenly you get a completely different song," Horan said.

"The music really changes drastically, takes you to a different place, takes you to a bridge, to a kind of unique musical breakdown," Horan said.

"Whatever he and Dan Nigro are working on, they are a great team. It obviously affects a lot of people, including myself," he added.

Horan also admitted that Rodrigo's musical trend, which often combines pop-rock elements with a dynamic emotional structure, also inspired the work on his latest album titled "Dinner Party".

Horan explained that in the album, he will explore more the rock music influences that he has loved since childhood, especially from late 1990s pop-punk bands such as Blink-182.

"The drum sound is something we've been trying to chase, and it comes from the late 1990s and early 2000s punk-rock era. Rock has been a huge influence on my life since I was a kid. I write pop songs, but wrapping it up in a different way sometimes feels really cool," he said.

"Now, I always think about live shows. You can only get a real sense of what people are thinking when you see them live in the room. The more rock-oriented material really feels the energy at the concert," Niall Horan concluded.