Blake, Pharrell, Christina, and Adam have revealed the celebrities who will help to mentor their teams onto success in the battle rounds, and some of their selections are somewhat surprising.
Let’s be honest: the biggest draw to The Voice is the celebrity coaches, so of course, it only gets more exciting when we add even more celebrities to the mix. This happens every season when each coach chooses a celebrity performer or band to help mentor his or her team, starting in the battle rounds.
Check out the mentors for ‘The Voice’ season 8:
Team Blake: Meghan Trainor
Don’t get me wrong, I love Meghan Trainor. “All About That Bass” and “Lips are Movin” are two irresistibly catchy songs, and both prove that the girl knows her way around a hit song. But she is so new on the scene, particularly as a singer. While her songwriting experience will help her mentor the contestants in their understanding of the songs they are singing, it will be interesting to see how she fares overall. That said, she is a hoot, and her banter with Blake is sure to be a delight.
Team Christina: Nick Jonas
Get ready to feel old: Believe it or not, Nick Jonas has been in the music business for over 15 years. Forever a JoBro in our hearts, little Nick has grown up to become a regulation hottie, star on Broadway, and have hit songs with his brothers, with his side gig Nick Jonas and the Administration, and on his own. His song “Jealous” was everywhere in 2014, as you probably noticed. So while it seems like Jonas is new on the scene, he likely has more to contribute than we may suspect.
Team Adam: Ellie Goulding
Adam reached across the pond for his season 8 mentor, choosing U.K. artist Ellie Goulding. The “Lights” singer has found her niche with her unique voice, selling millions of albums and millions of singles. Everything from her own hits, like “Anything Could Happen” and “Burn,” to her covers, like Elton John’s “Your Song,” to her duets, like “I Need Your Love,” with Calvin Harris, have been huge hits. She’s been featured on soundtracks for Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and 50 Shades of Grey. But most importantly, she sang at Will and Kate’s wedding reception. It will be interesting to see what she has to say to Team Adam.
Team Pharrell: Lionel Ritchie
Hello, is it a win you’re looking for? Terrible Lionel Ritchie reference aside, it seems like Pharrell really lucked out this season in the mentor department. While Lionel isn’t exactly topping the charts today, he’s had countless hits throughout a career lasting multiple decades, both with and without the Commodores. He undoubtedly has a ton of helpful advice to bestow upon Team Pharrell’s contestants, along with providing his dorky dad-style humor.
So what does this mean?
What makes this season a little different is that almost every coach’s mentor choice has skewed surprisingly young. Aside from Lionel Ritchie, who has had a very long career, the others are kind of new on the scene. While they’ve all certainly seen their share of success, when Nick Jonas is your second-most veteran mentor, it makes you wonder just how much experience and expertise they’ll have to share with the contestants.
For a show that has seen legends like Cher, Stevie Nicks, and Reba mentor their contestants, it makes one wonder why they didn’t go for some bigger names for this season’s mentors.
Tune into the battle rounds, immediately following the blind auditions, to find out how the new set of celebrity mentors shapes up.