Heavy/Getty Meghan Trainor and Katy Perry at an event in April 2024
Three days after pop star Meghan Trainor advised the Top 12 contestants on season 22 of ABC’s “American Idol,” many fans were shocked to see NBC announce on April 25, 2024, that she’ll also be an upcoming Playoff Advisor for contestants on “The Voice.”
Trainor is scheduled to work with Chance the Rapper‘s team on the show’s April 29 episode, exactly one week after she appeared on “Idol,” where she inspired buzz among fans and cast members about being a potential replacement for Katy Perry, who’s leaving the show after this season. Though several popular artists have appeared on both shows in the past, they rarely, if ever, have appeared on the competing shows during the same season, let alone one week.
Meghan Trainor Is Appearing on Multiple Shows in Advance of Her New Album Drop
Over the years, several big-name artists have advised contestants on both “The Voice” and “American Idol,” though always in different years. For instance, Bebe Rexha was a “comeback coach” on “The Voice” in 2016, per Distractify, and then served as a mentor on “Idol” in 2020.
Country star Keith Urban, an “Idol” judge from 2013 through 2016, returned to the show as a mentor in 2023 — and then served as a “Mega Mentor” on “The Voice” in early April 2024, per Deadline.
Meanwhile, Shania Twain, who is scheduled to mentor the “Idol” Top 10 on April 28, advised singers on “The Voice” in 2017, according to USA Today.
On April 22, Trainor appeared as a mentor to the Top 12 during the two-hour, live episode of “Idol.” Before each contestant sang live, producers aired a prerecorded segment of their mentorship session with Trainor. Though Trainor couldn’t attend the live show to watch their performances like Gene Simmons did the night before, she joined via FaceTime at one point, cheering them on and showing she was watching the show live on TV.
During the show, host Ryan Seacrest also announced that she’ll return to “Idol” to perform her new single with T. Pain, “Been Like This.” ABC has since confirmed that she’ll appear on the May 5 episode.
But first, Trainor will advise “The Voice” contestants on the show’s April 29 episode, sitting in with Chance the Rapper as he gives advice to the remaining members of his team before their Playoffs performance. It won’t be Trainor’s first time in the role; she also advised Blake Shelton’s team during season 8 in 2015, according to NBC.
When NBC announced Trainor’s upcoming appearance via Instagram on April 25, multiple fans did a double-take, surprised Trainor would be on “The Voice” days after being on “American Idol.”
One person asked, “Wasn’t she just on Idol?????? 😮”
Another wrote, “😮 Daaang she was mentoring both on Idol & now The Voice.”
Someone else commented, “Meghan playing both sides Idol and Voice 😂😂 we all know the better singers are on Idol tho.”
There are also reports that on the same day Trainor appears on “The Voice,” she’ll appear with original “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson, singing a “Kellyoke” duet with her of “All About That Base” on the “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Multiple fan accounts, including Team Kelly Clarkson, tweeted photos from the taping on April 25.
Kelly Clarkson & Meghan Trainor performing “All About That Bass” on The Kelly Clarkson Show this Monday!
Trainor’s many appearances are happening because she’s promoting her newest single, “To The Moon,” which will be out on May 3, and her upcoming album, to be released in early June.
Meghan Trainor Does Have Past Experience With Both ‘Idol’ & ‘The Voice,’ Making Her a Possible Choice for a Full-Time Role
Since her first number one single, 2014’s “All About That Base,” the Grammy winner has released multiple hits and has also written songs for a wide range of artists from Jennifer Lopez to Rascal Flatts, according to American Songwriter.
She has lots of experience in the music business to draw from as a mentor or advisor to aspiring singers, including working on versions of “American Idol” and “The Voice” in other countries. In 2020, she was a coach on “The Voice UK,” according to the Sun. And in 2023, she was a judge on “Australian Idol” alongside former “American Idol” judge Harry Connick Jr., per Billboard.
After her recent mentorship sessions on “Idol,” fans were abuzz about the possibility of her replacing Perry at the judges’ table.
When asked what he thought of the idea, judge Luke Bryan told Entertainment Tonight, “I think Megan’s always been real fun. You know, that’s kinda been her brand, to have fun, real witty, so certainly.”
Seacrest agreed, telling ET, “”She was very good. Megan is a super talent, too, and she’s got a great sense of humor. She’s fun and she’s spontaneous.”