There’s nothing wrong with shaking things up every once in a while.
Grammy winning – Latin pop star Shakira and R&B god Usher have signed on with NBC to join the panel of judges for the spring season of The Voice. They will be replacing Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, but don’t worry, NBC had this planned all along.
Their goal is to build up a strong panel of diverse, but equally strong judges so they can rotate them all and mix and match as the show progresses. As all of their judges, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina, Cee Lo, and now Shakira and Usher are all involved in their own musical projects along with The Voice so creating a large interchangeable panel allows NBC to work around all of these starts recording and touring schedules.
Don’t worry though, Xtina and Cee Lo will be back next fall to judge again. “Having award-winning artists as coaches means they need to be able to tour,” said executive producer Mark Burnett. “Whether in the red chair or on tour, our coaches have their chairs for life. This is exactly why, after three seasons, we needed to allow them to rotate out so they can get on the road amongst their fans. Meanwhile, we’re incredibly excited to have singular artists like Usher and Shakira joining the fold.”
Now just because Cee Lo and Christina are taking some time off doesn’t mean their going home to put their feet up. Christina has been working on a new album, Your Body, and a tour which will be her first since Bionic in 2010, which just between you and me didn’t do so well! Cee Lo is also working on new music and developing a scripted comedy show based on his life.
And girls, don’t you worry, you’re man candy isn’t going anywhere. Adam and Blake will be staying with the show through season 4 so that bromance will only continue to blossom. But what will happen to Adam and Christina’s rivalry dynamic? I guess we will just have to wait and see where it ends this season.
Here’s a few statements from Cee Lo and Christina about their departure -
“Being a coach on ‘The Voice’ is a wonderful experience and the relationship amongst us all is like an extended family,” said Aguilera. “I am so proud of being part of the show from the beginning, all the work we’ve done, and proud of what the show stands for as a whole. As I have expressed since day one of the show, that I am a singer and performer first and I am so excited to get back to that love. Since this year NBC and ‘The Voice’ have decided to tape back-to-back seasons, requiring a full-year commitment, it is important for me to take season four off, allowing me to support my music that my fans have been waiting for — with the release of my new album ‘Lotus’ on November 13. By pursuing my first passion of music during the break, I am also able to come back and offer even more to my team on ‘The Voice’ in the future.”
“First … thank you NBC for supporting my decision to take this season four hiatus! It says that I’m seen and respected as a complete artist and not just a cast member. I’m highly enthusiastic about focusing my undivided attention on my additional endeavors and interests like my upcoming solo album, new Goodie Mob album, Las Vegas residency ‘Loberace,’ new memoir, and new NBC comedy,” Green said. “It’s great to also give a host of other talent the chance to experience what a joy it is to be part of what is truly THE BEST SHOW of them all, ‘THE VOICE!’ I will return for season five and will be watching season four. NBC is home and as far as Usher and Shakira are concerned — ‘mi casa su casa.’”
Sarah Rzasa is a writer and a self proclaimed pretend social media guru. She spends most of her time hopelessly plotting how she can turn her life into an episode of Sex and the City over a coconut iced coffee. Follow her on twitter for a series of embarrassing quotes and life moment.
A show with good ratings and they are STILL going to replace judges? Haven’t they learned anything from X-Factor and American idol? I don’t watch the show but all these shows canning their judges don’t make sense?