'The Voice' judge opened up to ET on Monday ahead of the first night of the season 23 finale.
Bidding farewell to a newfound friend. Niall Horan isn't looking forward to saying goodbye to his fellow Voice judge Blake Shelton.
ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke to Horan on the carpet ahead of Monday's finale of The Voice, and he opened up about Shelton's departure from the show after 23 seasons.
"We're gonna have a few drinks, no doubt," Horan said with a smile. "I'm gonna miss him. Big time. I've made a real friend."
"Like, I didn't know the guy in October of last year, but he's just been a constant. We text every day. He's been a laugh the whole [time]," shared the singer, who just joined the show this season. "I hope he doesn't win it! But I'm gonna miss him."
Going into Monday's episode -- where the Top 5 will compete for America's votes before the winner is revealed on Tuesday -- Team Blake has two singers in the running: NOIVAS and Grace West. Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson's Team Kelly had D.Smooth, and Chance the Rapper's Team Chance has Sorelle.
Team Niall, meanwhile, is represented by Gina Miles, and Horan explained that he truly hopes fans can see the "very, very bright future" ahead of the hopeful songstress.
"I've got a one in five chance," Horan said. "She deserves to win it. She's so gifted. She's 19 years old and she sings like that?... It's just nuts."
Looking back at the semi-finals, when the Top 5 were revealed by host Carson Daly, Horan remarked on how much it reminded him of when he was competing on The X Factor, back in 2010.
"It was so intense. it brought back so many memories. I was getting so many flashbacks of being on the show I was on," he shared. "I just stood there on stage, waiting for the results to be read out. I found myself doing the exact same things I was doing when I was a contestant. Just watching Carson's mouth to see who he was going to announce next, and nothing else."
Fans will have to wait to see if Team Niall earns a first-season victory or if Team Blake snags a last-hoorah win. Either way, Horan says he's been invited to visit Shelton on his farm in Oklahoma, and he hopes to take him up on it.
Horan announced on Monday that he would soon be kicking off The Show Live On Tour 2024, a world tour featuring concerts in Europe and the United States.
"I'm excited to play some amphitheaters and some arenas in the States, and if I make my way over there [to Oklahoma], I'll head out to the farm and drive some of that machinery he keeps talking about," Horan said with a smile.
The Voice's Season 23 two-part finale airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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