The latest season of NBC’s “The Voice” is bringing to the table a new, young and popular coach: Ariana Grande. The show, being renewed now for its 21st season, has incorporated Grande into the role of coach after replacing previous judge Nick Jonas.
NBC’s “The Voice” Season 21 is available to watch on NBC through cable, or streaming services such as FuboTV, YouTubeTV, Hulu, and DirecTV Stream.
“The Voice” stars four celebrity singers as coaches. They decide which singing contestants will be on their team to compete against the other coaches and mentor the aspiring singers to refine their singing ability. In order to do this, the show has “blind auditions” in which the coaches face the opposite direction of the contestants as they perform a piece. If a coach likes what they hear, they press a button that turns them around to see the contestant, as well as to confirm that they want that singer on their team.
During an episode of “The Voice,” Grande said, “I really just want to be helpful to these artists and help them execute their vision for their careers, and for their lives and for their sounds.”
The influence of the coaches on not only the singers but also the audience is one of the signatures of the show, making each change of coach from season to season all the more exciting. For this latest season, Grande’s influence on the show is already recognized through her effect on the audience and her energy during each episode.
“I don’t listen to her music myself, but many people I know do. I’m sure she’ll have a good edge in the show considering how many people like and know about her right now in the world,” said junior Eric Fuga.
Grande has been a familiar face for much of the past decade due to her roles in the Nickelodeon shows “Victorious” and “Sam and Cat.” Along with this, Grande has made a smooth transition to becoming a successful musical artist, maintaining 57 million monthly listeners and ranking tenth in the world for most streamed artists on Spotify as of October.
This platform is what could give her an edge on other coaches for this season of the show, as it is the vote of people who watch the show across the nation that ends up deciding victory for each coach.
Grande has already begun some form of a rivalry between herself and Blake Shelton, a coach who has been with the show for all of its 21 seasons and has had seven wins, the most won as a coach.
During an episode of “The Voice,” Shelton said, “My ears are still ringing from when she walked out and introduced herself to the crowd. It’s unbelievable.”
Shelton and Jonas also had a show-length rivalry, with Shelton winning the season.
In an interview with People Magazine, Shelton said, “The easiest defeat of my career was Nick Jonas. So I’m looking for a challenge. I think Ariana could be a challenge. I’m looking forward to beating her though.”
At the current point in the season, blind auditions for the contestants are over, each coach has their team, and it’s time for them to be put to the test during episode seven, “The Battles Premiere,” which airs on Oct. 11.
