Blake Shelton just can’t catch a break. Not on “The Voice,” and apparently not in the recording studio either. The country superstar had fans laughing after finding out he was replaced by none other than his former TV rival, Niall Horan, on Thomas Rhett’s updated version of their song “Old Trick.”
The playful swap, revealed through a group text shared by Rhett, quickly turned into a hilarious back-and-forth between the two singers who’ve kept their friendly feud alive long after leaving the show.
New Version of ‘Old Trick’ To Be Released
Rhett’s song is called “Old Trick,” which was part of his 2024 album, “About a Woman.” The initial recording featured Blake Shelton, but the 2025 version will now feature Niall Horan, who was a nemesis of Shelton’s on “The Voice.”
The new version of “Old Trick” will be released on Friday, October 17. To help promote the new single, Rhett shared a dramatized group chat on his Instagram between him, Blake, and Niall.
In the text thread, Rhett tells Shelton that he has found a great replacement for him on “Old Trick,” since Blake apparently wasn’t available to “shoot content” for it. Rhett joked about holding a lookalike contest, but he couldn’t find anyone who looked like him.
However, he does have a good friend who is a pretty good singer that he’s going with. Rhett then adds Niall to the group chat, who excitedly asks Shelton if he heard about the new song he has with Rhett.
Blake responds, “NIALL?!”
He continued, “Let me get this straight. First, you steal my last chance at a win on The Voice, and now you’re stealing my song? Unbelievable.”
Of course, Horan joined “The Voice” during season 23. That happened to be the final season of doing the show for Shelton, so Blake wanted to go out on a win. However, Niall pulled out a win during his first season, sending Shelton into retirement without a victory.
While Blake seemed upset, Rhett did promise Shelton that he would love the song. Time will tell, though.
Does This Mean Niall Horan Is Doing Country Music?
With the new single coming out tomorrow, is this a hint that Horan is making his way into the country music genre? While he hasn’t come out and said he plans on it, he has teased his fans about it.
He recently shared a video on his TikTok page of him covering “Old Tricks.” He was playing the guitar and belting out the song in his living room.
Horan also teased fans during his show in Austin, Texas, in 2024. He dubbed himself Cowboy Niall, and he embraced the cowboy wearing boots, jeans, a button-up with the sleeves cut off, and a cowboy hat.
Fans Love Cowboy Niall
With the big announcement, fans were loving the fact that Niall and Thomas were pairing up. One person wrote, “Cowboy Niall has arrived and he needs to STAY!!”
Another user added, “my worlds collide!!!! me 🤝 country music 🤝 Niall Horan.” A third user commented, “Niall and country I love it!”
His fans definitely want more of it, also. One person said, “Niall’s voice was made for country honestly,” and another added, “Them 3 need to collab & put out a Christmas album. Plz & thank you 🫶🏼.”
The new version of “Old Trick” will be available on October 17. And you can currently see Niall Horan on “The Voice” season 28, which airs on NBC at 8/7c on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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Iconic Blake Shelton’s Response to Being Replaced by Thomas Rhett