Photo by: Brian Bowen Smith/NBC)
Season 12 of the The Voice starts this Monday! While veteran coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton continue to be the show’s anchors we’ll be getting another new dynamic. Get ready to feel the love! Coach Gwen Stefani is back and this time the sparks between her and Blake aren’t trying to hide!
Season 12 of The Voice: Love is in the Air!
The theme for season 12 of The Voice is “Feel the Love”. They say it’s all about how this slate of coaches has the best bonding. What better way to show this than a video of the four coaches jamming together on a home-like set? Check out their version the 90’s hit by TLC, “Waterfalls”
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Did they, or did they not nail that totally chilled out and laid back vibe?
Other aspects of “feel the love” include the usual Adam & Blake bromance. They’re also continuing last season’s new theme of women’s empowerment and bonding. Last season was the first time they had two female coaches, Alicia along with Miley Cyrus. Season 12 of The Voice makes sure to show that “girl power” dynamic between coach Alicia Keys and Gwen.
Most of all though, feel the love is about Blake and Gwen. Now that they’re an established couple The Voice has no problem playing to the love audiences have for celebrity pairings. In this clip the focus is on Gwen’s return to The Voice, but “Shefani” shippers will not be disappointed!
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It will be interesting to see how this season’s ratings go. Last season showed an uptick from The Voice season 10, which is good for a show that’s been on since 2011. Most shows of this age usually show a slight decline. I’m sure NBC is hoping that Shefani magic will continue that upward trend!
Age is Nothing but a Number
Another new aspect to see on season 12 of The Voice is the dropping of the age limits. In the above clip featuring Gwen, the young contestant says she taught him “how to spell ‘Bananas,'” (she does that in her 2005 hit “Hollaback Girl.”) On Late Night With Seth Meyers she mentioned that the young man is just 13 years old! Unlike the Simon Cowell productions of The X-Factor or America’s Got Talent, the American version The Voice has always held the cutoff for performers at 15.
In other countries they actually have a separate competition for young performers called The Voice Kids. Given the success of The Voice Kids overseas, as well as any number of US spinoff reality shows like MasterChef Junior, Project Runway Junior, and NBC’s Little Bigshots, it’s surprising that they’re choosing to simply lower the contestants ages. Perhaps because NBC also has Little Big Shots and America’s Got Talent the network would rather not end up oversaturating with kids?
There’s something to that idea, but last season there were a few younger performers I would have enjoyed seeing more of. If they had been on a show like The Voice Kids, that would have been a better platform for them. On the other hand, there have always been teen competitors on The Voice who have done very well. Last season’s third place winner Wé McDonald was 17 years old. Furthermore, both Danielle Bradbery and Sawyer Fredericks were 16 when they respectively won seasons 4 and 8. I guess the truth is age really is nothing but a number!
A Voice Sneak Peek: 16 year-old Anatalia Villaranda
Speaking of younger singers on show, it looks like we can expect more of that beyond the 13-year-old. Check out the four-chair turn audition of Anatalia Villaranda!
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The two-hour season premiere of The Voice starts Monday, February 27th! Don’t forget to tune in. Then check back in with TVoverMind for our review!
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