Remember the date - January 8th, 2017 - and remember where you were when you read this piece of breaking news.

Niall Horan, arguably the most beloved thing to come out of Mullingar apart Joe Dolan or the road to Dublin, has dyed his hair brown. That's right, folks. Brown.

Let that sink in as you glance over these images.

 

It's not yet known why Horan has decided to ditch his customary blonde tips for a more darker colour.

It could be in support of his, uh, solo career and he wants to project a more adult-looking visage.

It could also be that he's making a statement about the impending environmental crisis in Ireland, about how a giant glacier the size of Waterford is about to break off from Antarctica, how the choices in Donald Trump's cabinet suggests a wilful rejection of established science and how the rise of far-right populism in Europe is threatening to send the world into chaos.

Or maybe he was sick of the blonde hair and wanted a change. Either option's a possibility, really.

 

Via Twitter