NBC "The Voice" season 23
“The Voice” is set to return on March 6, 2023, with the first episode of Blind Auditions for the season, and the show released a video of the first Blind Audition of the season.
The video was posted on YouTube on March 3, 2023 and featured the artist Savion “NOIVAS” Wright auditioning in front of coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, and Niall Horan. NOIVAS performs Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
Three coaches turn for the artist during the first verse, but all is not smooth sailing, as Chance the Rapper presses his “block” button for Blake Shelton, meaning he has no chance to get the artist on his team.
All 4 Coaches Wanted NOIVAS on Their Team
Niall Horan was the last to turn, but he still turned early on in the audition, resulting in a four-chair turn for the artist.
“You are an incomparable talent,” Chance says when he gets his chance to speak to NOIVAS. “I would like to give you the chance to show yourself to the world. … To be honest, I actually blocked Blake.”
Shelton added that he “appreciated” the block because that meant Chance felt threatened by him. Later, NOIVAS asks if Shelton can do his patented finger point “thing” where he points at himself to become the coach.
“You know what, he’s my dad now,” Horan says, jumping in and pointing at himself. “He’s coached me too! So I am doing it.”
Clarkson shared that she’s won “The Voice” multiple shows and would love to have NOIVAS on her team.
“I can rap,” she adds, laughing. “I just don’t share that with the world. But I think the key thing will be having a coach that’s familiar with a show like this.”
Chance then stands up to share that he doesn’t like the way everything is feeling before walking around and sharing that he’s the only real coach on the show. In a hilarious bit, he walks across the floor where each of the coach’s names are lit up, and they change to say “Chance” instead.
“I’m gonna give you all the space! I want you to win the show and I want you on team Chance, man,” he adds.
The coaches ask who NOIVAS will choose from the three coaches available.
NOIVAS’s Choice of Coach Will Be Revealed During the Premiere
Like with early release Blind Auditions from previous seasons, the video cuts off before the artist had a chance to choose their coach. Luckily for viewers, it’s likely the audition will air during the first episode of the season, and his choice will be revealed.
Season 23 is Shelton’s last season on “The Voice,” and the show will feature multiple format changes.
According to Deadline, the show will introduce the “Playoff Pass,” which will be used in the Battle Rounds and allow both artists in the round to advance to the Knockouts rather than just one artist advancing. Another change comes in the following round, the Knockouts.
Instead of having three artists go up against one another as they did for season 22 of the show, the show will go back down to two artists per Knockout round. The last round, the Playoffs, will include 20 artists this season, likely boiling down to five artists per coach. Those will be followed by the live semi-finals, which will feature two artists per coach.
“The Voice” airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.