Can you believe that The Voice has been on the air for ten seasons already?
Reaching the important milestone this evening, the EMMY award winning competition series returns with not only Christina Aguilera as a coach, but also the show’s strongest contestants at the blind auditions to date.
“I want to win,” Christina Aguilera tells us. “I think this is the first season that I have the most consistent great talent. I mean, they’re really dynamic. I wish I could say more, but I think this might be the year. I’ve got to play the cards right. I’ve been taking notes from the guys for years now.”
When we asked her what she will do to break the “girl curse” on The Voice, she replied with a very surprising response. Strategy-less. “I am very strategy-less when it comes to winning. I do notice, however, that every year half the battle is talking the competition out of the contestants’ heads. They get in there, and it’s hard to be faced with the onslaught of either criticism or likes and then dislikes, but that’s part of being in this business. So, as a coach, I find that to be one of the biggest things is helping them with their head space and their mindset, encouraging them to move forward, and have fun with it. I mean, that’s ultimately what we’re all here in the music business for.”
Blake Shelton never seems to disappoint when it comes to live shows, so we asked him how he goes about choosing songs for his contestants. “The first thing I ask the contestant is ‘what is something that you sing at home or when you play your gigs out on the road that you really feel good about,'” Blake shared. “We gather up the songs that the contestant already knows and is comfortable with, and see if any of that stuff will work. The first step is just listening to them and then, you know, tell them how wrong they are, and do what I say, kid sort of thing (laughs).” Will he have what it takes to produce another Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, and Craig Wayne Boyd to name a few?
Last week, we were able to catch the premiere episode before it airs on NBC and to say it was amazing is an understatement. Here are our three favorites from tonight’s blind auditions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9FhSzctoIs
Mike Schiavo
New Jersey native Mike Schiavo‘s audition was a dream come true. The 21-year-old received three instant chair turns and even performed a Maroon 5 classic with Adam Levine, himself. We can’t wait until you see which team he chose to be on!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAFxZmCqeU
Alisan Porter
The former child star made all four chairs turn. With her pipes and emotional journey, Alisan could have what it takes to win the entire competition. But who will be her coach?
Bryan Bautista
Could Christina Aguilera’s return this season be the fresh ears that a returning contestant needed? Not making it through last season really pushed returning contestant Bryan Bautista to be better than ever. Making a come back singing “Hills” by The Weeknd, could this be what ignites the fire for his career?
Tune in to the season ten premiere of The Voice tonight, February 29th @ 8PM ET/PT on NBC.
Additional reporting by Valerie Juarez (screening) and Kennia Cardenas (junket)
Featured photo by David LaChapelle for NBC
