‘The Voice’ Welcomes New Judges This Month

Just announced, The Voice returns to NBC on September 22, Latin Post reports.

Pharrell Williams, whose sound has been inescapable over the past year, from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack to Ed Sheeran, is one of two new judges for the seventh season. Punk princess Gwen Stefani will also be sitting in a spinning chair.

Stefani replaces Christina Aguilera this season, who is expected to return for Season 8. Shakira, who has filled Aguilera’s shoes in other seasons, announced last week that she is pregnant with her second child. Aguilera currently has a newborn.

While there have been no baby announcements for Stefani, it will be a family affair as her husband, rocker Gavin Rossdale, will make an appearance on the show as a mentor. Also appearing this season as mentors will be Alicia Keys with Pharrell, Little Big Town for Blake Shelton, and Stevie Nicks for Team Adam.

As if that’s not enough star power, as The Inquisitr previously reported, Taylor Swift will serve as an advisor for all teams in the second round of the Battles. Swift is a veteran of the show, having appeared in the show’s fourth season as well.

Entertainment Weekly, offering an inside look at the upcoming season, suggests that Team Blake and Team Adam are still rivals and that things are going to get very interesting as Season 7 heats up.

Meanwhile, in the world of Levine’s band, Maroon 5, things are heating up as the band prepares to release its’ fifth studio album on Tuesday. Maroon 5’s V has already produced the hit song “Maps” that the band recently performed at the MTV Video Music Awards.

A weekend Los Angeles Times article and interview with Levine notes that Maroon 5’s last project, Overexposed, released in 2012, has sold more than one million copies and produced four top 10 singles. Levine speaks on the subject of overexposure in the article, answering a Times question about his connection to the acne-treatment product, Proactiv.

Levine said, “The truth is — no offense — I can’t stand doing press. I hate red carpets. I don’t like photo shoots.” He was told that an internet search of “Adam Levine Proactive” prompts Google to suggest “Adam Levine prostate” because of a public service campaign Levine previously participated in that involved him being photographed naked.

“My manager called and said, ‘Hey, Cosmo U.K. wants you to take a picture with them for prostate cancer awareness. It’s for a good cause but you have to be naked.’ I was like ‘Great.’ So we did it, and then it wouldn’t leave me alone.”