NBC Blake Shelton and John Legend perform on stage together
The new season of NBC’s “The Voice” kicked off with a huge start, as all four of the coaches took to the stage together to perform a cover of an Aretha Franklin classic and Sam & Dave’s “Hold on I’m Coming.”
The Monday, September 20, 2021 episode featured the very first appearance of new coach Ariana Grande.
The first performance hit all the right notes for both seasoned fans and new fans with the beginning performance that started with John Legend and Blake Shelton performing together followed by Grande taking the stage with Kelly Clarkson to belt out “Respect.”
Watch the Performance
The performance took place at the start of the show and featured Grande saying she was excited to be there before taking the stage. She can also be seen hugging Clarkson and giving Shelton her cowboy hat to wear before he performed.
The audience was shown going wild for the act, which has been a theme in many interviews for the season.
Once the female coaches took the stage, the song shifted to “Respect,” and they both got a chance to show off their huge vocal range.
At the end of the performance, all four coaches were on stage together performing a mashup and looking as if they were having the time of their lives. Grande then hugged both Clarkson and Shelton before the end of the video.
Fans Loved the Mash-Up and Vocals
After the performance was posted to YouTube, fans took to the comment section to express their delight.
“Kelly and Ariana are absolutely incredible and Kelly’s range is out of this world,” one person commented.
Another wrote, “Kelly’s rendition on [American Idol] won her that show BUT this takes her to a whole other level! The depth, resonance and range are incredible.”
“Ariana is literally in her game rn. No one’s doing it like her! She’ the voice of this generation for a reason,” another person commented.
One person said it was one of their favorite performances.
“This performance is definitely going in my ‘Greatest Performances’ saved videos so I can rewatch every day. The energy exchange between you all is beautiful and so fun to watch. Ariana – when you say, ‘But guess what…’ oh hell girl. I had to rewind and rewatch like 40 times,” they commented.
During an interview with ET Online, John Legend and Kelly Clarkson shared why they thought Grande was a threat when it comes to “The Voice” season 21.
“Of course she’s a threat!” Legend told the outlet. “She is hugely talented, hugely successful, and has legions and legions of fans that know how to use the internet and vote.”
That being said, he added, “There’s certainly a learning curve. But she comes in as a formidable opponent.”
Clarkson jumped in at that.
“There’s no disadvantage when you’re Ariana Grande,” she insisted. “She can’t say it. I will.”
“The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time on NBC.
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