When Thomas Rhett decided to shake up one of his signature tracks, he did it with a healthy dose of humor and a little help from a familiar face—or rather, a former rival. The country star’s song “Old Trick,” originally released in 2024 as part of his album About a Woman, is getting a playful reboot this week with a new voice: Niall Horan.
Yes, that Niall Horan. The One Direction alum turned The Voice coach, who famously broke Blake Shelton’s streak during Shelton’s final season on the show, has stepped in to rerecord the duet that once featured Shelton himself.
Rhett rolled out the news with a cheeky dramatized group text thread, shared publicly, showing Shelton’s faux outrage at being replaced. In the exchange, Rhett tells Shelton he’s found a “great replacement” and assures him it wasn’t a look-alike contest that decided the choice. Enter Horan, who chimes in to ask if Shelton has heard the revamped track.
Shelton’s joking reply? “NIALL?! 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.”
The banter highlights the ongoing friendly rivalry between the two artists. Horan, who joined The Voice in Season 23, clinched a win during his first outing as a coach, blocking Shelton from hitting a tenth win before his exit from the series. Still, the Irish pop star and the Oklahoma country icon hit it off behind the scenes.
“Me and the cowboy became good friends very quick,” Horan shared during an NBC interview, adding that they’re alike in more ways than one.
While Horan isn’t expected to make a full jump into country, he’s clearly enjoying the ride. He recently posted a video of himself performing “Old Trick” on guitar, giving fans a taste of his take on the song ahead of its official drop this Friday.
With its genre-bending appeal and built-in drama, the new version of “Old Trick” is poised to attract fans across both country and pop spectrums—and maybe even spark a few more friendly jabs between Shelton and Horan before the week is out.
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