Niall Horan says Aotearoa felt "untouchable" when he was younger and is mind-boggled that it's now a country he tours, with one coming up in 2024.
The ex-One Directioner joined The Project on Thursday night and said it's "crazy" he was even doing an interview with media in Aotearoa.
"It's nuts, I'm literally doing an interview to New Zealand. When I was growing up New Zealand felt very untouchable because it was so far away."
Horan said now he gets to visit Aotearoa every couple of years to tour.
"It just crazy that that's even [happening], or even that we're having this conversation."
And that wasn't the only New Zealand-related topic that surfaced in Horan's interview with The Project. He worked with Kiwi producer Joe Little on his latest album The Show.
"He was one of the exec [executive] producers on this record."
Horan said he sent Little a song called The Show just after he wrote it during the COVID-19 lockdown.
"I just sent him a piano and a vocal, just a thing that I made, and I asked if he would be interested in sticking his ear on it and maybe trying the production or whatever."
Horan said after Little sent the first thing back, he thought, "Okay, this guy is definitely working on this".
The ex-One Directioner's latest album is released on Friday and his New Zealand tour kicks off in April 2024.
Watch Horan's full interview above for more.