Kelly Clarkson is opening up about the first season of The Voice not to feature Adam Levine since it first premiered back in 2011. In a new interview, the returning coach admitted that she found it “weird” not to have the Maroon 5 frontman on board for Season 17 and added that she and her fellow coaches have an “interesting dynamic” without him.
“I love the four of us. It’s weird not having Adam, but it’s interesting the dynamic,” Kelly said in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight , where she was joined by fellow coach Blake Shelton. The two singing superstars appear on the new season alongside Gwen Stefani and John Legend. “We’re literally all four different genres and it’s kind of interesting the dynamic of that on the show.”
Notably, the star’s comments come shortly after Blake also described returning to the show for the first time without Adam as “weird” in another interview earlier this week.
Kelly — who first appeared as a coach on the NBC singing competition during Season 14 — also gushed over returning coach Gwen, who hasn’t sat in a red spinning chair since Season 12.
“We knew each other before the show but we never worked together,” the “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” singer said, adding that she can’t believe she gets to work with one of her childhood idols.
“It’s really cool because she’s really down to earth,” Kelly continued, adding that sometimes she and Gwen will be “pillow fighting over an artist and I’m just like, ‘Wow, it’s Gwen Stefani.’ It’s so cool.”
But it sounds like while the American Idol Season 1 winner won’t be getting too aggressive with Gwen when Season 17 officially kicks off, the No Doubt singer’s boyfriend may not necessarily be doing the same.
In the same new ET interview, Blake confessed that he’s going into Season 17 ready to win — even if that means taking down Kelly and his girlfriend of four years.
“I don’t really give a cr*p what John says or does. I’m here to beat him,” the country star teased of how he’s ready to take home another win this year, as he is now the only coach to have appeared on every single season to date.
“I’m here to beat [Clarkson] and I’m even here to beat Gwen,” Blake continued. “It’s not easy, but that’s what I’m here to do.”
And when he’s not talking smack about his current fellow coaches, Blake says he is still keeping touch with his former competitor coach.
As The Inquisitr reported, Blake recently revealed that he still speaks to Adam, even after the Maroon 5 singer’s departure from the show earlier this year. The country star admitted the duo recently shared a 45-minute FaceTime session.
The Voice Season 17 will debut on NBC September 23.