Blake Shelton is back!
The former The Voice coach is returning to the NBC singing competition series for the first time since leaving the show in 2023 after a whopping 23 seasons as a coach. But, this time, he won’t be judging the up-and-coming talent.
The “God’s Country” singer will make his Voice homecoming for the May 20 season finale to perform “Texas” from new album For Recreational Use Only. This marks Blake’s first time back on The Voice stage in two years.
But Blake won’t be the only music superstar lighting up the stage.
Alicia Keys and Amanda Reid from Broadway’s Hell’s Kitchen will perform a mashup of “The River” and Keys’ hit “Empire State of Mind” while Chance the Rapper will jam out to “Space and Time,” the latest song from the Grammy Award-winning artist and former Voice coach’s project Star Line.
Another former Voice favorite returning? Kelly Clarkson.
The O.G. American Idol winner will debut her new song “Where Have You Been” during the finale.
Meanwhile, Joe Jonas will belt out his new single “Heart by Heart,” and Foreigner will perform a medley of their greatest hits “Feels Like the First Time,” “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Rounding out the star-studded finale will be James Bay and Sheryl Crow debuting the television performance of “You and Me Time.”
Not to mention, one of the five season 27 finalists will be crowned the winner.
Blake’s return may come as a surprise to some fans, as the country star previously revealed he never planned to return to the reality series. Well, as a coach at least.
“I did 23 seasons of the show and I enjoyed it,” Blake exclusively told E! News last year, “and by the time I got to that last season, it was time.”
“I needed to get back to what my day job was anyway,” Blake—who met wife and fellow former Voice coach Gwen Stefani on the show—added, “which is, you know, being a country singer.”
The Voice season 27 finale airs Tuesday, May 20 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
In the meantime, keep reading for a closer look at Blake and Gwen love story.
Let the Rumors Begin
“I think he’s hot, don’t you? But to be super honest, it is kind of crazy we both went through the same thing at the same time. There’s been so many people that I’ve gotten so much comfort from. Just people coming to me and telling me their story. Not confiding, but sharing, which has just helped me see things from a different perspective and move forward.” —Gwen to Ryan Seacrest in November 2015
Look of Love
“How can I not be [in love]? She is the greatest. She is the greatest.” —Blake on Today in March 2018.
“Saved My Life”
“When you have a broken heart—at least, when I do—you got to get it out of your system. You want people to sympathize with you. I was at rock bottom, in the middle of hell…Gwen saved my life. Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile divorce from another musician?” —Blake to Billboard in July 2016
Country Livin’
“I grew up in Orange County, so I don’t know if you’ve been down there, but it’s nothing like the middle of America and our nature was the beach. So to be able to be in Oklahoma and be able to experience a ranch kind of vibe is just something I never ever had, so it’s just been really, it’s been great, amazing.” —Gwen on Jimmy Kimmel Live in August 2020
Wedding Bells
“You know, what? I love weddings. The kids love him. We love him. Everybody loves him. He is lovable! I think about it all the time.” —Gwen to Ellen DeGeneres when discussing marrying Blake
Fierce Fashion
“[My style is] more feminine than ever before. It’s probably because I’m super in love and have a really manly man. I enjoy letting that part of me come out now because when I was in No Doubt, I never thought of myself as sexy. Even in my 30s, I was a tomboy. I hardly ever carried a purse.” —Gwen to InStyle in July 2018
Sexiest Man Alive
“He doesn’t even like to do a photo shoot. You can never convince him to do it. So he just called me like, ‘They want me to do this.’ And I was like, ‘You should totally do it! You’re so sexy!'” —Gwen’s reaction to Blake being named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive
Hot Commodity
“He’s so good at the show, I mean, he’s just so magical. Blake is literally a unicorn. Like anywhere he goes, people are just attracted to him, and he’s such an incredible talent.” —Gwen on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in September 2019
Biggest Fans
“Setting here watching @gwenstefani rehearsals it continues to shock me the amount of GIANT hits this girl has written… I highly recommend y’all catch her Vegas show if you can get tickets!!!” —Blake on Twitter in June 2018
A Hand to Hold
“I think she’s kept me from going to the absolute bottom. It was like literally falling off a cliff and a hand reached out and caught me, is what it feels like. I’ve never had that with somebody where it just felt like no matter what, she has my back. It’s the greatest feeling.” — Blake on Good Dish in March 2022
Unexpected Miracles
“Something that I wanted since I was a little girl is to be married and have this love that I saw my parents have and have babies. That dream was completely ruined; it was crushed, and I had to figure out how I was going to move forward and make a new dream. And God putting Blake in my life was just that miracle.” — Gwen to People in November 2024
“A Second Chance at Life”
“Meeting my husband felt like a second chance at life. Because when my family fell apart, it felt like a catastrophe. How do you pick yourself up from that? But God put this other person there to love me.” — Gwen to The Guardian in November 2024
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