Ariana Grande may be one of the biggest superstars in the world, but Blake Shelton isn’t intimidated about her joining The Voice. While serving as a surprise guest co-host with Hoda Kotb on Today on Wednesday (March 31), Shelton remarked that he’s actually looking forward to the “7 Rings” singer sitting two chairs down from him as a coach during Season 21.
“There’s one chair on The Voice that seems like lately it’s turned into this revolving door of different coaches that we’re able to bring in,” Shelton says. ”I’m excited about it. I’m a fan of hers.”
Grande will fill the seat left vacant by Nick Jonas, who is departing the show at the end of Season 20. Shelton insists that he and the other coaches don’t know ahead of time who’s going to be stepping in as a new coach, and that they find out from producers via text just days before the announcement goes public.
Shelton — a veteran coach and veteran winner — isn’t worried about Grande squelching his chances at scoring another win, though.
“I’m not going to lie, we’re still going to beat the crap out of her on the show,” he teases. “That’s our job. They pay us to win — they don’t pay me to lose.”
Shelton recently announced that he is releasing a full-length new album, Body Language, on May 21. It will feature 12 tracks, including his chart-topping duet with his fiancee, Gwen Stefani, “Happy Anywhere;” a collaboration with the Swon Brothers on the title track; and his current single, “Minimum Wage.”
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