What a Time

"What a Time"
Single by Julia Michaels featuring Niall Horan
from the EP Inner Monologue Part 1
Released	March 29, 2019 (2019-03-29)
Recorded	2018
Genre	Pop[1]
Length	2:53
Label	Republic
Songwriter(s)	Julia Michaels Justin Tranter Casey Barth Riley Knapp
Producer(s)	Kirkpatrick RKCB
Julia Michaels singles chronology
"Peer Pressure" (2019) "What a Time" (2019) "Okay" (2019)
Niall Horan singles chronology
"Seeing Blind" (2018) "What a Time" (2019) "Nice to Meet Ya" (2019)
Music video
"What a Time" on YouTube

"What a Time" is a song by American singer and songwriter Julia Michaels featuring Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan, from her fourth EP, Inner Monologue Part 1 (2019). The song was written by Michaels, Justin Tranter, Casey Barth, and Riley Knapp, and produced by Ian Kirkpatrick and RKCB. It was sent to Australian radio on March 29, 2019, as the second single from the EP and was the second most added song days after its release.[2][3] It was nominated at the Teen Choice Awards 2019 for Choice Collaboration.

Composition

"What a Time" has been described as a slow pop song.[1] Lyrically, "What a Time" has been referred to as "mourn[ing] the end of a relationship".[4] The chorus, which contains the lyrics "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," has been described by MTV as "powerful".[5]

Live performances

On February 18, 2019, Michaels and Horan performed the song for the first time on The Late Late Show with James Corden.[6][1] On January 15, 2020, Michaels performed a solo version of the song at the House of Blues Chicago on the Honda Stage.

Music video

The music video was released on February 7, 2019, and was directed by Boni Mata.[7] The video features the singer and a look-alike of Horan in a flower-strewn apartment where the two reminisce about past relationships.[8] An acoustic video was released on March 28, 2019.[9]

Accolades

Awards Year Organization Award Recipient Result Ref. 2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Collaboration Julia Michaels Nominated [10]

Charts

Chart performance for "What a Time"

Chart (2019–2021)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11]	95
Ireland (IRMA)[12]	26
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[13]	23
UK Singles (OCC)[14]	71

Certifications

Certifications for "What a Time"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[15]	3× Platinum	120,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)[16]	Platinum	80,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[17]	Platinum	90,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18]	2× Platinum	60,000^‡
Poland (ZPAV)[19]	Gold	25,000^‡
Portugal (AFP)[20]	Gold	5,000^‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21]	Gold	30,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[22]	Gold	400,000^‡
United States (RIAA)[23]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Australia	March 29, 2019	Contemporary hit radio	Republic	[24]

References

1. "Julia Michaels and Niall Horan Break Out of Escape Room to Perform Duet 'What a Time' on 'Late Late Show': Watch". Billboard.
2. "SINGLES TO RADIO ISSUE 1230". The Music Network. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
3. "SOTD: 'What A Time' to be Julia Michaels". The Music Network. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
4. Nied, Mike (January 24, 2019). "One Day Early! Stream Julia Michaels 'Inner Monologue Part 1' EP". Idolator. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
5. Alston, Trey. "Julia Michaels And Niall Horan Recall The Heights Of Relationship Ecstasy IN Corden Duet". MTV. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
6. Spanos, Brittany (February 19, 2019). "Watch Niall Horan, Julia Michaels' Recreate 'What a Time' Video on 'Corden'". Rolling Stone.
7. Silver, Michael. "Julia Michaels Releases Emotional Video for 'What a Time,' Feat. Niall Horan". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
8. Nied, Mike (February 7, 2019). "Julia Michaels & Niall Horan's Emotional "What A Time" Video". Idolator. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
9. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (March 28, 2019). "Julia Michaels and Niall Horan's Acoustic 'What a Time' Video Hits Even Harder Than the Studio Version". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
10. Kaufman, Gil (June 19, 2019). "Lil Nas X & Post Malone Lead 2019 Teen Choice Awards Nominations: See the List". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
11. "Julia Michaels Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
12. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Julia Michaels". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
13. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
15. "Brazilian single certifications – Julia Michaels – What a Time" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
16. "Canadian single certifications – Julia Michaels feat. Niall Horan – What a Time". Music Canada. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
17. "Danish single certifications – Julia Michaels feat. Niall Horan – What a Time". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
18. "New Zealand single certifications – Julia Michaels feat. Niall Horan – What a Time". Radioscope. Retrieved January 5, 2025. Type What a Time in the "Search:" field.
19. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2022 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
20. "Portuguese single certifications – Julia Michaels feat. Niall Horan – What a Time" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
21. "Spanish single certifications – Julia Michaels & Niall Horan – What a Time". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
22. "British single certifications – Julia Michaels/Niall Horan – What a Time". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
23. "American single certifications – Julia Michaels – What a Time (feat. Niall Horan)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
24. "New Release Schedule". auspOp. March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.