The Voice returns for Season 8 Monday, and NBC has released a video of the premiere’s coach performance, featuring Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine performing Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” This marks Aguilera’s return to The Voice after a hiatus since Season 5, with Shakira (Seasons 4 and 6) and Gwen Stefani (Season 7) filling her coaching spot during her absence.
With her return, three of the four original coaches will be back for this season of The Voice , and more importantly, fans will be able to watch Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine battle each other as they are known for trading jabs on the show. And of course, one can expect the Adam Levine and Blake Shelton bromance to continue this season on The Voice .
Since its beginning, The Voice traditionally kicks off each season with a performance of a popular song by all four coaches. Some past covers include The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” Cee Lo Green’s “Crazy,” and a medley of their own hits.
Check out the video to preview the coaches’ performance and the return of Christina Aguilera to The Voice.
Christina Aguilera took a break from The Voice after Season 5 to record a new album and expand her family. She’s on the cover of People magazine this week with her new baby girl, Summer Rain, and planning a wedding with fiance Matt Rutler.
Fellow coaches Shelton and Levine made a video welcoming her back to the big red chair, and expect plenty of fireworks to ensue as Aguilera is known for being a real fighter for getting talent on her team. This will be the first season of The Voice where Pharrell and Christina both coach, so the dynamic between them is still an undetermined, but the “Happy” singer seems like a pretty laid back guy.
Pharrell Williams debuted in Season 7 of The Voice , taking Usher’s place, who had stepped in for original coach Cee Lo Green. Coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton have remained on the coaching panel every season. The two have also become good friends and one of the highlights of the show is their good-natured teasing of each other.
When The Voice debuted, it was a groundbreaking approach to the singing contest format, as the coaches hear the potential contestants’ auditions with their chairs facing away from them, so there can be no bias based on appearance. This allows judges to make their decisions on talent alone.
Who’s your favorite coach on The Voice ? Do you think Adam and Christina will get along this season, or can we expect some fireworks between those two?
[Photo by Trae Patton/NBC]