Niall Horan And Hailee Steinfeld's Relationship Seemingly Didn't End Well
Niall Horan has an extensive dating history that reportedly includes Selena Gomez, Barbara Palvin, and Ellie Goulding. In fact, Horan's situation with Goulding supposedly inspired Ed Sheeran's hit "Don't," insinuating that Goulding cheated on the "Photograph" singer with Horan. Although Horan has a very clean-cut, sweet persona, he does have a way with the ladies. Infidelity has been rumored to play a part in his relationships, which takes us to his relationship with Hailee Steinfeld.
Years before Horan's role on "The Voice" as a coach, Horan was really focused on his solo career following One Direction's "hiatus." A couple of years after the band's breakup, Horan released his debut solo album, "Flicker," in 2017. Between going on tour for that album and other media appearances, his and Steinfeld's paths crossed and they reportedly started dating. However, it didn't end well, and the "Dickinson" star apparently wrote a pretty painful song about it, too.
Niall Horan might have cheated on Hailee Steinfeld
Niall Horan and Hailee Steinfeld were linked back in 2018, when they attended various events together, including a Backstreet Boys concert. Even before that, on Steinfeld's birthday in December 2017, Horan shared a sweet post for the "Hawkeye" actor. "Happy birthday to the loveliest person on the planet and one of my best friends @haileesteinfeld," he wrote on Instagram, with a silly candid photo of the two at an award show. "Have no idea what the hell is going on in this photo. Love ya hails." According to Express UK, the two dated from December 2017 to December 2018. Us Weekly reported in 2020 that a source claimed the breakup was schedule-related: he had just finished a tour and Steinfeld's filming obligations were growing. It was also reported that they'd split months before the news got out.
However, Steinfeld released an EP called "Half Written Story" in 2020, and it featured a song titled "Wrong Direction." Of course, the title seems like a play on Horan's former famous band, One Direction, so that made fans think the song was about him. In it, Steinfeld sings, "Lookin' back, I probably should have known / But I just wanted to believe that you were out sleepin' alone." Was she revealing her ex-boyfriend's infidelity in her song?
They both wrote about their heartbreak
A source told Express UK that Niall Horan wasn't too phased by "Wrong Direction" and knows it comes with the territory of dating a musician. The insider also claimed the breakup was difficult for both singers. Hailee Steinfeld has talked about the song, too, and how hard it was to write. She told SiriusXM Hits 1's "The Morning Mash Up" in May 2020 that other songs on the EP were "more fun" to make than this heartbreak song. "I found ['Wrong Direction'] more difficult to write than the others just because of ... just being in that headspace," she said.
Whether or not the song is about the ex-One Direction member, the experience that inspired it influenced what Steinfeld looks for in a partner. "I want a partner who is, first and foremost, loyal and honest," she told Cosmopolitan in 2021, saying she wants them to also be "confident in themselves." "A lot of this music is also about taking control and taking ownership of one's self," she said. "But I also think there's power in claiming what you want, and maybe what you want is not to be alone."
Horan released music after the breakup, as well, and told Billboard in October 2019 that writing songs "helps vent the emotions." "Going through heartbreak helped write the ballads, even some of the happy songs," he said. "The sad songs that are dressed up as happy songs sometimes."