Pop singer Niall Horan often spoke about his love for county music while serving as a host on The Voice last season, and during a recent radio appearance, he put his voice to the breakout song from country singer-songwriter Zach Bryan. The performance occurred live on SiriusXM Hits1, with Horan opting to cover "Something in the Orange."
In a video clip of the performance, Horan launches into the song, playing acoustic guitar while a band member backs him up on electric. Horan's version stays mostly true to Bryan's original, but the instrumentals seem to be more pronounced as opposed to Bryan's more muted, stripped-down version. Horan gave a pitch-perfect vocal performance that showcased his smooth, unique voice which differs from Bryan's raw and gritty tone.
The singer also infused plenty of passion into the performance, hitting the high notes of the chorus with a sense of urgency and calming down during the quieter moments of the song. The performance ended with an enthusiastic round of applause from the studio audience.
Horan has been making the media rounds promoting his new album, The Show, which was released on June 9. The album features 10 tracks, including singles "Heaven" and "Meltdown."
Although Horan is a pop artist, he was introduced to country fans in 2017 thanks to his duet "Seeing Blind" with Maren Morris. The Irish-born singer-songwriter was also cast as a coach on The Voice for season 23, where he made fast friends with country star and veteran coach, Blake Shelton. In an interview with ET in May, Horan said he and Shelton are at the "texting everyday" level of their friendship.
"I didn't know the guy in October of last year and he's just been — it's a constant text every day," he told the publication. "And even just here off camera and on camera it's just been a laugh the whole season. I'm gonna miss him."
Horan will continue on as a coach on season 24 of The Voice. He will be joined by returning coaches Gwen Stefani and John Legend as well as country icon Reba McEntire, who will officially fill Shelton's shoes on the show.
