Blake Shelton will kick off his 20th season of The Voice when Season 20 of the show premieres on Monday, March 1. For Shelton, appearing on the reality TV talent show is what he credits with launching him into superstar status — even though he initially thought being on the reality TV talent show might ruin his career instead.
“I would say a big turning point was becoming a coach on The Voice,” Shelton said on Access. “At the time, honestly, I didn’t know if that was going to be something people made fun of, or if the show was going to be a huge hit. I mean, the idea was so stupid. They sent us this video of what the show was going to be. You sit in your chairs with your back to the artist, and you hit a button.
“And now, that seems tame compared to what we have on TV,” he continued. “Now, I saw a show on TV the other day where they’re wearing these big costumes, and Hamburgler’s coming out. It’s like, The Voice seems pretty down the middle now. So there’s no question that was the difference-maker for me.”
Shelton might be grateful to be on The Voice, but he wasn’t the show’s first pick for a country artist as a coach. Reba McEntire was initially asked, but declined, with Shelton ultimately taking the gig.
“It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure,” McEntire recalled to Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live. “I watched the tape and I said ‘No, I’m going to pass on that, because I don’t think I’d ever be able to tell somebody that they’re terrible, or ‘Go find another job’ or ‘Hope you like your nighttime job.’ I couldn’t do that, day in and day out. I just couldn’t do it. So I did pass on it. Blake was the perfect choice. He’s done a wonderful job.”
Shelton just announced that Dan + Shay would join him this season as Battle Advisors.
“The Battle Rounds are literally two artists coming together and making music, singing basically — we call it a Battle, but it’s basically a duet,” Shelton revealed on Access. “These two, obviously, talk about their career, it’s completely exploded. But the way they come together and vocalize together and make music, I thought that would be a great mentor to have these two.”
“So many times I’m sitting here in a situation in these Battle rehearsals and one of the artists will ask me a question about harmony, and I don’t know crap about harmony,” he added. “I’ll be like, ‘Oh, you know, I’m gonna check on that for you,’ and I never do, because I don’t know anything about harmony. Finally, this season, I’ve got Dan + Shay here, who, they kill it. And they’re a natural at it, and honestly, it’s already come into play a couple of times. It’s helpful to have them here.”
