Julia Michaels and Niall Horan almost didn’t get to perform on The Late Late Show on Monday night (Feb. 18) because of the unique challenge issued by host James Corden: solve the puzzles in a specially constructed escape room to earn a spot on the stage. With time running out, Corden had to give the two singers a bit of a nudge to get them all the way home, suggesting they find the hidden microphone and drop it to open the room’s doors.
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The duo managed to pull through just in time to take to the stage and sing their romantic duet, “What a Time.” Michaels began the performance of the sixth track off of her recently released EP, Inner Monologue Part 1, wearing a navy dress while seated on a bench surrounded by bunches of pink flowers, joined about a minute in by Horan, who strolled onto set through the audience while wearing bright lavender pants and a black t-shirt as the duo harmonized on the intimate ballad.
“I think of that night in the park, it was getting dark/ And we stayed up for hours/ What a time, what a time, what a time/ You clinged to my body like you wanted it forever/ What a time, what a time, what a time/ For you and I,” they sang on the chorus.
The singer-songwriters, who have toured together in the past, vibed off of each other as they performed the song about love lost and shared an embrace once the slow-pop song ended. Michaels told Billboard that the Irish-native is the same in the studio as he is on tour, “He walks in, and he’s just his goofy, silly self. I can’t think of a moment where him and I aren’t laughing and being completely ridiculous with each other.”
Watch Micahels and Horan perform their heartfelt “What a Time” on The Late Late Show below.