Niall Horan Was So Cheeky with Simon Cowell in His First X Factor Audition

The future Voice Coach playfully went back and forth with the future AGT Judge.

Before he became a household name as a member of One Direction — and long before he became a two-time winning Coach of The Voice  — Niall Horan was just a kid with a dream and a microphone in his hand.

His first X Factor Audition in 2010 really is a time capsule. From Horan’s epic hair to his confidence, fans and Judges alike could already tell he was a star in the making.

Horan’s first Audition showed his sassy side, too, as evidenced in a little exchange he had with then-X Factor Judge Simon Cowell afterwards.

“I think you’re unprepared. I think you came with the wrong song. You’re not as good as you thought you were, but I still like you,” Cowell, now a Judge on America’s Got Talent, told Horan. “With work, you’d be quite good, but you came in, Niall, unprepared. And you thought you were gonna walk this, and it’s harder than you think.”

“I didn’t think I was gonna walk it,” Horan responded. “I’m confident, not cocky.”

“Niall, you’re talking to me,” Cowell said, almost asking Horan to be honest with himself.

“Alright Simon, I love you too,” Horan cheekily said.

In the end, Horan’s quip didn’t scare Cowell off from recognizing his potential.

After mixed reviews from the Judges, Horan surprisingly received a vote of “yes” from Cowell, pushing him forward in the competition. Unfortunately, Horan would later be eliminated from the solo artist part of X Factor, only to be grouped with several up-and-coming singers at the behest of Cowell himself to eventually form One Direction. The rest, as they say, is history.

Niall Horan pays tribute to his “Voice dad” in an Instagram video

Niall Horan poses as he visits Bauer Media at 1 Golden Square on March 7, 2023 in London, England; Blake Shelton at the 2023 CMT Music Awards held at Moody Center on April 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Photo: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Bauer Media; Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images

Horan is going for his third Voice win in Season 28. In an October 1 Instagram video, he paid tribute to the Coach with the most wins in Voice history, Blake Shelton, by performing an acoustic version of a song Shelton is associated with.

In the video, Horan sang a quick cover of “Old Tricks” by Thomas Rhett, a song that features Shelton’s iconic vocals. Comfortably sitting in his living room with his guitar, Horan belted out the chorus of “Old Tricks” with such ease.

“Love this song by my pal @thomasrhettakins and my Voice dad @blakeshelton,” Horan wrote in a caption.

Papa Shelton would be proud.