A lot has happened since One Direction’s (tragic) hiatus in March 2016: Zayn Malik is officially gone, Louis Tomlinson is a dad, Harry Styles has started his acting career, and Liam Payne is in the studio working with other musicians. Needless to say, it was expected but still surprising that Niall Horan would also be up to something of his own. On Sept. 29, Horan dropped “This Town,” his first single post-boyband. The track came out of the blue: there was no promotion, no tweets, and no announcements made about his solo career – quite the Beyoncé move.

“This Town” offers a very different sound for Niall. It is a slow, acoustic song about missing a certain someone. The simple strums of a guitar and Horan’s voice provide the framework of the song, making its sound raw and minimal. In a personally written newsletter, Horan confirmed that he will start recording his debut solo album shortly.

“I’m doing the final bits of writing over the next couple of weeks and then it’s time to record the album. Can’t wait to share the album with you all,” he wrote.

In an interview with FOX FM, Horan revealed that he was not really phased by the solo writing process, even after being in a band for five years. “I found that I wrote a lot of my good stuff on my own. It didn’t feel any different. At the start I wasn’t really writing for anything in particular,” he said.

Since One Direction’s break, Horan has kept things pretty under the radar. He has made a few special appearances at golfing and other sporting events, mostly in England and the United States. On Twitter, he has promised multiple times that One Direction is not over and is simply taking a well-deserved break. But now that all of 1D officially has plans of their own, fans are skeptic. Does this mark the end of the British boyband for good?

The release of this song starts the beginning of an era for Horan and his fans. From here, fans can look forward to upcoming Jingle Ball appearances, which will be hosted by radio stations across the country this December. Horan will make stops in D.C., New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. Joining him in select cities will be artists such as Justin Bieber, DNCE, Ariana Grande, The Chainsmokers, and Daya. Tickets for all of the Jingle Ball shows can be purchased through ticketmaster.com, and the music video for “This Town” can be watched here.