Kelsea Ballerini joins the series alongside returning coaches Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Adam Levine
The Voice returns for its 27th season on Feb. 3, welcoming newcomer Kelsea Ballerini alongside returning coaches Michael Bublé, John Legend, and Adam Levine. Before they spend the season building their teams and battling it out, the four musicians came together for a live rendition of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”
Levine kicked off the performance, marking his return to the series after six years and more than 10 seasons. Legend led on piano as Bublé and Ballerini joined in to trade verses and harmonize. The group skips over the song’s second verse, but its lyrics sum up the reason they’re all together in the first place: “In the auditorium/Looking on, she sings the songs/The words she knows, the tune she hums.”
The new roster of coaches finds only Bublé returning from last season, where he made his debut alongside Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, and Reba McEntire. Season 27 marks Levine’s first without Blake Shelton, who exited the series in 2023 after 23 seasons. “I feel like no time has passed, but then it also feels so different in an amazing way,” Levine told E News. “It’s funny, I actually didn’t miss it while I was gone. But I became more nostalgic about it once I came back.”
Legend appeared on seasons 15 through 22 before returning for seasons 24 and 25. Bublé has one season under his belt, but Ballerini has been a friend of the show for years. She served as a battle advisor during season 16 in 2019 and made another appearance in 2021 when she briefly filled in for Kelly Clarkson during season 20.
“I got to fill in for Kelly a couple years ago, for the Battle rounds,” Ballerini told NBC. “I have the screenshot of this group chat with all my girlfriends. And I said, ‘I really want this job one day.’”
