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“The Voice” coach Niall Horan has made a major impression on the music industry since breaking out with the band One Direction around 2011. It would make a lot of sense if he had a lot of famous friends as a result.
But the star says this isn’t the case. Horan, who will be returning for his second year in the red chair in the fall, told VIP magazine he has an interesting perspective on how he approaches having famous friends.
The conversation stemmed from possible talks of a reunion with One Direction, which Horan squashed, saying, “There’s nothing going on that I know of.” He noted that the members are “still really close,” though, and the interview eventually delved deeper into Horan’s friendships.
Niall Horan: ‘Personalities Don’t Even Come Into the Conversation’
Horan shot down the idea that famous people are friends with famous people simply because they share stardom in common. He said he doesn’t look for his friends in the music industry.
“I’ve no interest in just becoming friends with famous people to be honest with you,” Horan told VIP magazine. “I think everyone has this assumption that famous people are all friends for no other reason than the fact they’re famous, personalities don’t even come into the conversation. I’d say I have two or three famous friends.”
One of those friends is fellow musician Lewis Capaldi. Horan publicly shared his support of Capaldi after he announced he would be taking a break from his tour. According to Rolling Stone, Capaldi said he would hold off his tour until the end of the year to “tend to his mental and physical health.”
Horan told The Sun he is “really happy for Lewis that he’s able to take the time that he obviously feels he needs right now. … I don’t think you ever truly get used to singing in front of 100,000 people. If you have any sort of performance anxieties or anything like that then that stage can be a tough place.”
Niall Horan Remains Close With His Hometown Friends
While seeking out celebrity friendships isn’t on his radar, Horan always has the comfort of his hometown friends.
He told VIP that another reason for not wanting A-list friends is that he still remains close to those back home. “I don’t need loads of new friends,” he said.
Still, Horan didn’t have to look too hard to find one in his first season on “The Voice” as he struck up a sort of father-son bond with Blake Shelton amid his final run on the singing competition. Horan and Shelton frequently took shots out one another but did so in a way that spoke to their friendship. Horan even spoke after the finale, which saw his singer Gina Miles take home the win, about how he doesn’t view Shelton as a “famous friend.”
“I think if I had met him outside of The Voice, I would have probably been friends with him anyway,” he told People. “Weirdly enough, we’ve got a lot in common, we’re quite similar people.”