Niall Horan Opens To MuchMusic VJ Georgia Kolev on INTIMATE & INTERACTIVE

The Show Must Go On, as Niall Horan Opens To MuchMusic VJ Georgia Kolev on INTIMATE & INTERACTIVE
By BILL HARRIS

billharristv@gmail.com – @billharris_tv

Special to The Lede

Niall Horan’s third solo album The Show was released just last week, and he stopped by the MuchMusic studio, home of the cutting-edge platform that reaches young audiences in many innovative ways.

But when Horan joined VJ Georgia Kolev for a brand-new installment of INTIMATE & INTERACTIVE, which debuts Thursday, June 15 at 7 p.m. ET on MuchMusic’s TikTok, @much, he also felt a bit nostalgic.

“Niall Horan was around back in the days of the quote-unquote older MuchMusic, and he even spoke about it in the interview,” Kolev said. “He talked about how just seeing our logo reminded him of being here for the first time in Toronto, when he was in his One Direction days. And now to have him back is kind of full circle, because it’s the new age, and it’s a new era. He has new music and is evolving as a solo artist. So it’s kind of cool to have him back in a different way.”

The new MuchMusic debuted about two years ago, and Kolev chuckled when it was suggested to her that she’s now an experienced veteran as an interviewer. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by, because it just feels like a split-second,” Kolev said. “I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned as an interviewer is that the best way to have a better conversation is to not just worry in my head about what to say next, but to make sure I’m listening closely to what the person has to say, because I don’t want to miss a very key piece of information. I still get nervous before a big interview, but I make it way easier on myself when I just relax a little bit. You have to be prepared, but not overprepared to the point that you can’t pivot with things.”

Conducting interesting interviews is more of a skill than people think it is sometimes, but Kolev said that in the specific case of Horan, he was completely engaged, which made for an easy, natural, flowing conversation about many different things.

“Oh my gosh, he was lovely,” Kolev said of Horan. “I don’t even know how to describe him. He is the most genuine, down-to-earth, humble guy, so easy to talk to. Obviously he’s world-famous, but if you sit down one-on-one with him, it really just feels like you’re on his level, and he’s on yours, so it feels like he’s genuinely there. It sounded as if he was enjoying himself. It definitely wasn’t hard to get anything out of him.”

Asked to describe what she’s enjoying most as the new MuchMusic continues to make waves and find its voice, Kolev said, “I think it’s everything combined, there are so many things behind the scenes. Interviewing is definitely one of the top aspects for me, for sure. That makes me so excited because it’s always something new and different every time. Being able to attend events and concerts together with the other VJs and my co-workers, and share those experiences, is also one of my favourite things. And just to see everyone thriving. It’s fun to support each other, and we all have our turns. We all get to watch when any one of us gets a cool, big, fun interview.”

Speaking of cool, big, fun interviews … check out Niall Horan on INTIMATE & INTERACTIVE!