Niall Horan is sharing how he honored his late One Direction bandmate Liam Payne on his forthcoming album.

In a new interview with GQ Hype, Horan explained that the song "End of an Era" from his upcoming album Dinner Party pays tribute to Payne by exploring the way he navigated the grief of losing his friend in October 2024.

After he "went into hiding a little bit" following the funeral for his bandmate, the Irish musician said he found old photos and videos of the pair "nostalgic" but with the shade of "fear and sadness and all the stuff that comes with grief," made all the more heartbreaking because they were memories only shared with each other, per People.

"[There are] memories that only he and I can share 'cause you have a team and you have people around all the time," he said. "But we always said that only us have that experience, no one else has that."

Payne passed away at 31 on October 16, 2024, after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, days after he and Horan caught up during the latter's tour stop in the city. Horan, who had "a good laugh [and] good reminisce" with his friend, recalled being in disbelief after learning about the news while at home watching TV.

"I just remember getting a message. And I was just like, 'What?'... I just didn't think it was real," he said. "Someone so young, you're not expecting to hear that they've passed, especially someone that you've just seen. I just went back from shock to sadness to anger."

Following his death, One Direction released a joint statement mourning the loss of their "brother" and each of his bandmates shared their own tribute to their late friend. Horan wrote that the death of his "amazing friend" didn't "feel real," especially after just spending time with him days before.

"I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn't know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever," he said. "It's heartbreaking."

Chris Davis