Niall Horan stopped by Hot Ones on Wednesday (March 16) to chat about his freshman season on The Voice while taking on the iconic “Wings of Death.”

Three hot sauces in, the former One Direction-er told host Sean Evans that rejecting hopeful singers is the hardest part of his new gig on the NBC reality show. “‘Cause I know what it’s like to be 16 and stood on a stage, and looking at some famous dude that’s got your future in his hands,” he said. “The easy part is pressing the red button, spinning the chair, saying how you like someone. But when the chair turns around and you’re not with them, how do you give them that rejection feedback? And that’s where I’ve struggled with it, but it’s full circle stuff.”

However, Horan was quick to admit there’s one person he wouldn’t have trouble saying no to as a coach: his 16-year old self auditioning for The X Factor. “I wouldn’t have turned,” he deadpanned before breaking out into a laugh. “Not for that guy. I was right place, right time. No, I don’t think I would’ve turned for myself, put it that way.

“I’d turn for me now!” the Irish singer-songwriter continued. “I’ve learned a lot, I’ve been around the block a couple of times, which is, a lot can be said for someone that’s 29. But yeah, I’d turn now. I wouldn’t’ve turned then.”

A longtime fan of the YouTube series, the “Heaven” singer, whose third solo album The Show drops June 9, handled the heat remarkably well — though he eventually broke out in the shakes when the time came to try the infamous sauce Da’ Bomb. “I’ve been nervous about this for about seven years,” he joked before taking a big bite.

Watch Horan make his way through all 10 sauces during his Hot Ones interview above.