The former One Direction member teased a huge clue about the future of his career.

The Voice wrapped season 28 in December 2025, with Niall Horan as one of the coaches.
Fans learned Niall won’t be a coach on The Voice season 29, which starts February 23, 2026.
Niall teased a major clue about why he won’t be on the new season.

The Voice season 28 was one for the books, and we’re already gearing up for what’s to come in season 29! But with new eras come changes—including one coach who, surprisingly, won’t be on TV this winter.

The latest installment of the hit series will premiere on February 23, 2026, on NBC, and it looks like we can expect some major twists. The show teased a new format and confirmed that Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend will return as season 29 coaches.

While we don’t know much about how The Voice will change in season 29, we are wondering why Niall Horan isn’t returning. Niall has won The Voice every season he’s been a coach (Aiden Ross won season 28, Gina Miles won season 23, and Huntley won season 24). Fortunately, he just dropped a major clue about what led him to exit the show—and we’re pretty excited about it.

NBC

While Niall clearly has a knack for finding incredible artists, he’s a talented singer in his own right. And since his last album, The Show, debuted in 2023, it’s only fair we get new music from Niall soon … right?

Well, Niall seems to be on the same page, based on what he told People for an Instagram video in December 2025. Not only is he ready to release new tunes, but they may come sooner than we think.

“Oh, there will be music, for sure. There’s no doubt,” Niall said at the time in the clip. “I’m so excited about it. “I’ve had a really fun year in the studio … it feels like the album of a 32-year-old, which I haven’t felt like I’ve done before. It’s got that kind of maturity to it that I don’t think I’ve had before.”

When fans learned that Niall would be releasing new music, they couldn’t contain their excitement.

“Omg!! We’re gonna get new Niall music soon 😍,” one person wrote in the comments. “This just made my entire year 😭,” another penned. “My Fave! I’m here for whatever he’s dishing out 🙌🔥,” a different follower added.

Despite not returning to The Voice for season 29, Niall did share he’s proud of the success he’s achieved throughout his time on the show.

“It’s amazing,” Niall told Parade in December 2025. “I’ve been so lucky with the artists that I’ve gotten to work with on the show … it’s been incredible. The teams that I’ve been able to curate over the three seasons that I’ve been here have just been incredible, and America’s just been so good to us. They’ve really stood up when we needed them and voted me the winner three times.”

We can only hope to see Niall back on our TVs soon!