NEED TO KNOW
Niall Horan and Aiden Ross are a dream team!
After Ross was named the winner of season 28 of The Voice, the 20-year-old contestant and his coach opened up to PEOPLE about the feelings they experienced as they waited in anticipation for the announcement.
“I was just excited for him. It was a win or lose, it’s an exciting future for this guy,” Horan, 32, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “There’s no doubt about it, but I’m glad that America has seen the light and did the right thing.”
He continues, “Ralph [Edwards] and Aiden were our front runners for sure… I’m glad America agreed.”
Further reflecting on the moment, Horan says it was “scary” waiting for host Carson Daly to announce the name — because he “really, really, really wanted” Ross to be the winner.
For Ross, it was special sharing that moment with Edwards — who ended up placing second.
“Ralph and I had a pretty special moment,” he recalls. “I was like time stopped for a second, like we had a little break to talk.”
He continues, “It was a really special moment, we talked about the times we’ve had together outside of the show while being out here in L.A… growing together and just becoming great friends.”
When asked about the moment he knew Ross was special, Horan says it was “four seconds into his blind audition,” where he sang Adele’s “Love in the Dark.”
“We see a lot of blind auditions in the week that we do, and some of them stand out and Aiden was just arguably the best of the week, and definitely the best I’ve seen since I’ve been on the show,” he says.
In the finale, Ross was up against fellow Team Niall contestants DEK of Hearts, Team Reba’s Aubrey Nicole, Team Snoop’s Edwards and Team Bublé’s Jazz McKenzie and Max Chambers.
Trae Patton/NBC
Ross’ victory also made Horan — who previously won on seasons 23 and 24 — an undefeated coach.
Before his name was announced, Horan told Ross on stage, “You’re a really down-to-earth, lovely guy who’s gifted. I wish you the best, bud.”
Meanwhile, Ross — who’s a Texas A&M student — thanked his coach for teaching him to “love what I’m doing and be glad I’m doing it.”
The Voice season 28 finale aired on Tuesday, Dec. 16 on NBC.
