On Monday March 25th, NBC's popular Music contest "The Voice" returns.
This season Christina Aguilera and Ce Lo Green will be replaced by Shakira and Usher. Both coaches left season four due to major tours, concerts and new CDs. They also stated that they were tired of the long hours in the studio and wanted to be able to have more time for their music.
The absence of the two coaches left a void for returning coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Shelton stated "I didn't realize until Cee Lo and Christina took this season off how much the show centers around our four personalities and the dynamic and chemistry that we have together. When you take two of them out, it's different." He added "Adam and I were sitting there going, 'Holy cow, it's like a total re-adjustment of how you interact,' and we didn't know how to do it at first. Once we got into the game, it got pretty exciting. It got really fun."
However early comments by executive producers and Levine and Shelton stated that both Shakira and Usher have been good to adapt with. Producer Mark Burnett stated "They're all very harmonious. In the blinds, it's kind of like a family at the holidays playing a board game. Everybody can get a little friendly heated in the competitiveness, but it's a family." He added that the newcomers are "such fun, and they're so different. Usher is super, super cool (and) Shakira is so electric. ... She just emanates this light source. It's hard not to fall in love with her."
Levine said "Shakira is a firecracker and Usher's got a certain way about him that's very confident, very cocky, like myself. We'll have our fun. Blake is kind of in a category of his own because he's just this weirdo."
Usher also commented on his desire to help new talent and stated "There's something magical that happens in small rooms that never gets to be seen until a show like this, all the lessons that I learned as a child traveling around, performing on small stages, big stages, understanding breath control and how to maneuver and work my voice."
Shakira also shared her excitement for the show. "Most of the contestants have great voices, so I'm not there to teach anyone how to sing" she said via e-mail. "I think the best thing I can do for them is share my experience, use my critical eye to help identify areas where they need improvement and be there to support them."
"The Voice" is one of NBC's most popular and most viewed shows. It will be interesting to see how the audience responds to these two new judges and if it will continue to rise or stumble.
The series premieres on NBC at 8pm with host Carsen Daly.