Niall Horan is joining the coaching panel for season 23 of The Voice. Having launched his career as a contestant on The X Factor UK in 2010, Horan brings a first-hand understanding of the contestant experience to the show. That perspective makes parts of the job deeply rewarding, and other moments extremely difficult.
The former One Direction member is seated among fellow new coach Chance the Rapper and veterans Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. He says the role is a mix of excitement and emotional strain: enjoying the creative collaboration with artists while struggling with the responsibility of making elimination decisions.
“It’s horrible, I love it and hate it in equal measure,” he explained, describing both the highs and lows that come with coaching on a competitive show like this.
One of the most enjoyable aspects, he says, is the initial team-building. Choosing a team of ten, pressing the red button during blind auditions and competing with the other coaches to recruit talent are thrilling moments. Picking songs, developing musical arrangements with the band and working directly with each performer are aspects he finds especially rewarding because they let him be hands-on and creative.
That collaborative work — arranging songs to suit a singer, finding the best key, shaping the performance — is more interactive than he anticipated. Horan has relished being involved in every step of the artistic process, from selecting material to fine-tuning how a piece is delivered on stage.
Yet the flipside of mentorship is making decisions that profoundly affect contestants’ hopes. When the show moves into competitive rounds such as the Battles and Knockouts, coaches must make rapid, final calls about who advances. Those moments are the hardest for him, because he remembers how it felt to stand on the other side hoping for a chance.
“The moment it is just horrific — seeing these little faces, it is just not nice.”
Horan says the empathy he developed as a young contestant never leaves him. Watching a 19-year-old singer on stage, believing their future hinges on a single decision, is wrenching. He tries to remind eliminated artists that one setback does not define their career and that there are other opportunities beyond the show. Still, the immediate emotional impact when someone he has worked with is sent home is intense.
Production for season 23 has been moving through its stages: the Blind Auditions were taped earlier, followed by the Battles and Knockouts, and the coaches are close to completing the Playoffs. At the time of reporting, the final day of The Playoffs was scheduled to be taped on a Wednesday, with the season set to premiere on Monday, March 6 on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Beyond his television work, Horan is also promoting new music. His recent single “Heaven,” taken from his forthcoming album The Show, carries a simple message about enjoying the present. He described the song as an expression of accepting what comes and savoring the experience: live in the moment, have fun, and if things don’t work out, at least you made the most of it.
As a coach, Horan’s approach blends the encouragement of someone who has been through the audition gauntlet with the practical craft of a seasoned performer. He values the creative collaboration with the band and contestants, the strategic decisions of building a team, and the mentorship role that extends beyond the show’s stage.
While the position requires difficult choices, it also offers the reward of helping emerging artists shape their sound and grow as performers. For viewers, season 23 will reveal how that balance plays out as Horan and his fellow coaches guide singers through the competition and toward their next step in music.