The Best ‘Voice’ Coaches Ever, Ranked
The Voice may not produce pop superstars, but plenty of them have held court from the NBC competition’s big red chairs. And on February 3, one of the O.G. coaches is coming back to the set as Adam Levine makes a comeback on the show.
Levine will join returning coaches John Legend and Michael Bublé and first-time full-time coach Kelsea Ballerini.
“I really hope people can feel the mutual respect and friendship we have come to have for each other through the screen,” Ballerini previously told TV Insider. “One of us would try to make a funny, snarky, competitive comment and immediately be like, ‘But I love you and you’re probably right!’”
In the spirit of that, we have some love to share, too. Ahead of Season 27’s debut, we’re naming our picks for The Voice’s best-ever coaches.
10. Nick Jonas
Jonas won new fans during his two seasons on the show so far, with viewers taking note of his positive attitude, his sense of humor, and his chemistry with the other coaches. (Meanwhile, Nick was taking note of his favorite singers in his trusty notebook.)
9. Pharrell Williams
Is there anything this singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and Voice coach can’t do? He has more than proved his mettle on the NBC show, sharing just some of the vast musical knowledge he’s hiding under his wide-brimmed hats.
8. Gwen Stefani
She has only coached on Voice winner so far, but there’s No Doubt that Stefani has made a big impact on the show. Her connection to the contestants (and to a certain other coach) has made her one of the show’s most frequent coaches.
7. Jennifer Hudson
Hudson has gone from American Idol also-ran to EGOT winner, and she’s so good at coaching that she has sat in Voice chairs on both sides of the Atlantic. Hudson is devoted to cultivating up-and-comer talent, and we’re all luckier for it.
6. Niall Horan
We were skeptical that Niall could go from boy band member to solo artist and then from solo artist to Voice coach. We were wrong! Horan is charming, compassionate, and a heck of a coach, batting two for two in team wins so far.
5. Usher
Usher’s high-energy 2024 Super Bowl halftime show proves his showmanship, and he seems genuinely invested in mentoring the next generation of stars. In so doing, he drops his trademark “Usherisms,” e.g. “Pressure makes diamonds or busts pipes, man.”
4. Alicia Keys
We keep on fallin’ in, not outta, love with Keys. Her musical talent is undeniable, of course, but we’re also taken with her contagious joy and her enthusiasm for the contestants’ journeys on The Voice.
3. Adam Levine
Levine is returning to The Voice for Season 27, and he’s undoubtedly bringing back the funny. The Maroon 5 singer has a sharp ear, as the coach of three Voice winners so far, and a sharp tongue, having traded good-natured barbs with Blake Shelton for years.
2. Kelly Clarkson
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment… with Clarkson as a coach. As a former Idol champ, Clarkson knows what it’s like to compete on reality TV and knows how to win fans, and her four Voice team victories prove it.
1. Blake Shelton
The Voice’s longest-serving coach is our pick for the show’s best. He is always an affable presence, he has taken past contestants on tour and mentored their careers, and, oh yeah, and he’s far and away the winningest coach, with nine victories so far.
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