Who Is Kelly Clarkson’s Team Advisor on ‘The Voice’ Season 19?

Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice premieres on Monday, October 19 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. central with the first round of blind auditions for the season. Each of the coaches has already announced their advisors for the Battle Rounds.

Kelly Clarkson is reaching for the win this season. Team Kelly has come out on top just three times in the seasons she’s been on the show, most recently two years ago in Season 17 when Jake Hoot took home the title.

This year, superstar Kelly Clarkson chose Leon Bridges to be her Battle Advisor.

Clarkson Loves Bridges’s ‘Artistry’

In an interview with Access Online, Clarkson opened up about why she chose Bridges as her advisor this time around after saying she was really looking forward to working with the star.

“I’m such a fan of his talent,” Clarkson said in the interview after saying that she and Bridges grew up around the same town in Texas. “I love his tone, I love his artistry… He’s such a gentleman, he’s such a good dude and that’s just really cool to hear.”

She said that it was cool to hear that Bridges is a good person from people around the industry because that’s not always the case with people whose music or artistry you enjoy.

“The thing I love about Leon, whenever I look for a mentor, is, I want someone who’s, first of all, has a voice of character, and I know that, and I’ve heard that,” she said. “And also, someone who knows me.”

Clarkson shared that her sister had turned her onto Bridges’ music years ago and she instantly fell in love with the way his music was done.

This year, Clarkson has people on her team that are versatile, and she said she’s excited to have them all explore different genres throughout their journey on The Voice. 

Bridges Praised Clarkson’s ‘Humility and Patience’

In the interview, Bridges had a chance to talk about why he was so excited to work with Clarkson. He said that he loved that she was humble and patient.

“I really learned a lot from today,” Bridges shared, speaking of the day he was on set with Team Kelly. “It’s a total honor to be here.”

Clarkson, on her end, said that every artist on Team Kelly “freaked out” when Bridges was revealed as their Battle Advisor.

“It’s so real from, like, seeing you on TV in high school to being here right now,” Bridges told Clarkson, referring to seeing Clarkson for the first time on TV on season 1 of American Idol, which she won.

He said that Clarkson’s talent was amazing, even back then, especially when it came to her versatility in the music industry.

When it comes to what kind of advice they would give to people in the music industry, Clarkson said some people would be “cancerous” in their lives and it was important to know when to leave a relationship.

Bridges is a soul singer who first debuted in 2014 with his album Coming Home, which was inspired by 1950s and 1960s-style soul music. He was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

READ NEXT: Country Star Signed on to Be Blake Shelton’s ‘The Voice’ Team Advisor