Niall Horan, will serve as a coach on The Voice season 23 this season. And having gotten his start in the music business as a contestant on the X Factor UK in 2010, he knows what it’s like to be a contestant and feels horrible when he must eliminate an artist.
The former One Direction singer told RTE 2fm via The Sun that he both loves and hates his new role as coach, sitting alongside fellow newbie Chance the Rapper and veterans Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.
“It’s horrible, I love it and hate it in equal measure.”
Niall said: “The great part is picking the team, you get to pick a team of ten and that is great, it’s pressing the red button, out pitching Kelly Clarkson–it’s all that kind of stuff, that’s the great part.”
The Voice 23 Promo: Blake Shelton Shouts “I’m Tired of This!” (Video)
“Then the rest of it is picking songs for people, which I love, coming up with musical arrangements with the band and the artist, which is really cool. It is a lot more interactive than I thought it would be with the artists.”
But next is the hard part, and Niall’s empathy kicks in. He KNOWS what it’s like to be them.
He said: “The hardest part is they do like battles and knockouts, where they go up on stage and sing against each other and then you have to pick on the spot who is going through and who is not.
“The moment it is just horrific seeing these little faces, it is just not nice.”
“That’s when the empathy side of things kicks in and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that because I know exactly what it is like to stand on the other side of someone who has got your future in their hands.”
He added: “We are shooting that part now and it is horrible. You are looking at a 19 year-old up there who, if I say no, has convinced themselves already that it is the end of their career.”
“I think it is letting people know there is more over the hills for them because they are only 19 but in the moment it is just horrific seeing these little faces, it is just not nice.”
The Voice season 23 premiers on Monday March 6 on NBC at 8 pm ET/PT. The coaches have almost finished taping the season. On Wednesday, The Voice will tape the very last day of The Playoffs. That round comes after the Blind Audition (taped in October), The Battles, and The Knockouts.
Additionally, Niall is promoting his new single, “Heaven” from his forthcoming album The Show. He told the outlet that his new single is “basically saying what we have now is perfectly fine. Live in the moment see what happens an if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but at least we had a good time doing it.”
