Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus Join The Voice as Coaches
Alicia Keys from her session with Norman Seeff in 2004.
Starting tonight, Season 11 of The Voice welcomes Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus to the coaching panel. They will sit alongside the show’s veterans Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, breaking up the boys club seen in the first ten seasons of the show. This will mark the first time in the competition show’s history that there are two women coaches sitting on the panel at the same time.
Keys and Cyrus Replace Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams
Alicia Keys Keys and Miley Cyrus will replace most recent coaches Gwen Stefani and Pharrell, who may return in later seasons. Both Miley and Alicia have been on the show before as advisor and mentor (respectively) and reportedly enjoyed the experience so much, and drew such a large audience, that the show decided to make their roles more permanent.
It is not uncommon for The Voice to mix it up on the judging panel. Besides Pharrell and Stefani, past coaches gracing the big red spinning chairs have also included Christina Aguilera, Shakira, Cee Lo Green and Usher. Shelton and Levine are the only two judges who have consistently stayed with the show for all 11 seasons
Keys and Cyrus Make The Voice Judging Panel Even
Still, with all the combinations of coaches, two women have never been on the judges’ panel at the same time until now increasing the odds that a female coach can guide a contestant to victory for a second year. In Season 10, Christina Aguilera coached winner Alisan Porter, the first time a female coach won the competition. In the first nine seasons, Blake Shelton coached four winners, Adam Levine three and Pharrell and Usher each coached one winner.
Keys and Cyrus were also selected for the show because of what they bring to the table. Alicia will fill the R&B shoes of Pharrell and Usher. While Miley will add that wild card element and, hopefully for producers, garner a younger fan base for the show. By the time the live round of competition starts viewers may be tuning in to see just how wild Miley can get on network TV.
NBC Aired a Sneak Peek of The Voice in August
While the season technically begins tonight, NBC did air a sneak peek following the Olympics closing ceremony last month. Keys and Cyrus appeared to befriend and support each other and gave the Levine/Shelton banter a run for its money. Both women clearly know their stuff when talking music and have a no holds barred approach to getting a contestant to join their team.
Take a glimpse at Alicia Keyes in 2004, just a few years after her first commercial success, in her session with famed photographer/videographer Norman Seeff. And tune in tonight, Monday, September 19 at 8 p.m. on NBC to see Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus on the season premiere of The Voice.