Season 14 of The Voice is back with a new set of judges. Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton will be returning tonight, but a new face will also be in the mix: Kelly Clarkson.
There are some changes to the show's formatting that we'll become acquainted with on tonight's premiere. This season, there will be something called a block button. What is it? It's part of the judges' red chairs, and in the words of E!, "It allows each coach to, at one point throughout the blind auditions, make sure that an artist they're desperate to have on their team doesn't go to a coach who might seem like the likelier candidate." This is an exciting addition as it will bring out the competitiveness in the coaches. According to an E! spoiler, the block button will actually be used by a coach in the premiere's first audition.
Read on to learn more about this season's coaches.
Blake Shelton
Spoiler alert!
In the first blind audition tonight, Blake uses his "block" on Adam. Meaning, of course, that the singer's only choices are Blake and Alicia. Statistically, Blake is the best coach by far; he's won the most competitions since the show started in 2011.
In December, Chloe Cohanski was named the winner of The Voice. Shelton told reporters after her win, "I do think she has what it takes [to go far]... It is one thing for me to think that, but an overwhelming response from social media and just people and friends and families who text me... I don’t know if y’all can hear it. People love Chloe. I think it is something that people have been starving for musically what she does."
Blake and Adam are the only coaches who have stayed on since the beginning of the series.
Adam Levine
Adam Levine will also be back to coach this season of The Voice. The Maroon Five frontman has been on the show since its inception, but how much longer he'll stay has been a recent topic of debate. Adam has won the show three times with Javier Colon, Tessanne Chin, and Jordan Smith.
Adam joked, “We’ll see how many kids Justin Timberlake has, if he can handle another job. Maybe Justin can do it,” Levine continued. “And yeah, that’s pretty much it.”
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys is a strong coach; no one can deny that. She won her second season as coach and is hoping she can pull it off this time around. After all, the third time is a charm.
Billboard announced that Keys would be returning back in October. In a statement, Paul Telegdy, the president of alternative and reality group at NBC Entertainment, said, “We are thrilled to welcome back Alicia’s positive energy, competitive spirit and sheer talent. She brings unparalleled expertise and has proven she knows how to help artists win... The chemistry between Alicia, Kelly, Adam and Blake will make for a wildly unpredictable and compelling season 14!"
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson may have never judge a reality singing competition before. But, she has been on one. In 2002, Clarkson went down in history as the first woman to ever win American Idol. That alone means she's bringing a whole new dynamic and level of understanding to The Voice.
That being said, Clarkson isn't totally to how this all works. In season 2, she mentored Blake Shelton's team in the Battle Rounds. In an interview with Parade on Monday, Clarkson was asked if she feels like she's come full circle. She said, "I definitely do feel like I’ve come full circle. The three other coaches on my season have all won at least one season, so it’s definitely cool to be able to tell them that I’ve navigated a competition and I bring that knowledge to the table. But I still feel like the same kid that entered this industry. I still have the same sense of awe about it and the same excitement."
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