Julia Michaels and Niall Horan’s Acoustic ‘What a Time’ Video Hits Even Harder Than the Studio Version

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Julia Michaels and Niall Horan make a convincingly heartbroken pair in “What a Time,” the duet from Michaels’ Inner Monologue Part 1 EP. But they didn’t appear together in the original video for the song, where Michaels poured her heart out to a silent lookalike for the former One Direction singer.

That’s changed for a new acoustic version of “What a Time,” whose video features both of them in the flesh, mourning a relationship that just wasn’t meant to last. Sitting with Michaels in what looks like an L.A. living room, Horan accompanies her on acoustic guitar before joining in on the song’s second verse: “I know we didn’t end it like we’re supposed to/And now we get a bit tense/I wonder if my mind just leaves out all the bad parts/I know we didn’t make sense.”

The studio version of “What a Time” is mostly acoustic to begin with, so the differences in this video are subtle ones — a little more rawness in Michaels’ and Horan’s vocals, no more movie-scene strings. It all combines to make the song’s feeling of regret hit even harder.

Michaels is currently working a double shift on the road: She’s midway through her first-ever solo headlining tour, whose dates are scheduled on her nights off as an opening act on Pink’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour. Her next EP, Inner Monologue Part II, is expected soon.

Julia Michaels Inner Monologue Tour

3/29 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
4/2 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
4/7 Seattle, WA – Neumos
4/20 San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
4/24 Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation at The Intersection
4/28 Chicago, IL – House of Blues Chicago
5/6 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
5/10 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland

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Pink Beautiful Trauma World Tour (with Julia Michaels opening)

3/30 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
4/1 Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
4/3 Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
4/5 Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
4/6 Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
4/8 Portland, OR – Moda Center
4/10 Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
4/12 Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
4/13 Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
4/15 Fresno, CA – Staples Center
4/17 San Jose, CA – SAP Center
4/19 Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
4/26 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
4/27 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
4/30 Indianapolis, IN – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
5/2 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
5/4 Fargo, ND – FargoDome
5/5 St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
5/7 Omaha, NE – CenturyLink Center
5/9 Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
5/11 Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
5/13 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
5/14 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
5/17 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
5/18 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
5/21 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
5/22 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden