Watching The Voice Season 27 Blind Auditions Was a Joyous Experience
Coaches Adam Levine, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, and Michael Bublé are, at their core, music nerds who love talking and working with other Artists.
It's toasty in Universal City, California on this July Wednesday but crisply air-conditioned in The Voice studio. The temperature change is jarring as I walk onto the mammoth soundstage where, soon, Season 27 Coaches Adam Levine, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, and Michael Bublé will watch a round of Blind Auditions. In just an hour, the studio will be filled with audience members cheering for Artists vying for a chair turn. The iconic Voice band will accompany each Blind Audition with a world-class musical arrangement. We'll hear booming vocals from unknown singers who span genres: pop, rock, R&B, and country. The banter between the Coaches will fill the room with laughter and joy. Excitement will be so thick in the air, you can taste it.
But right now, the studio is silent—eerily so. Stage lights haphazardly flicker different colors as technicians test cues for the episode. A drummer in The Voice band sits in position and lightly taps his cymbals, the sound reverberating through the studio. Crew members check cameras for smudges. Audio from a pre-taped segment is tested for sound and clarity. I step outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the calm before the storm when I hear I just missed John Legend pulling up in his car. I'm so sad I missed him!
But it's OK, because when I traipse inside to the backstage area, I see Legend in the flesh filming a segment alongside Levine, Bublé, Ballerini, and Host Carson Daly. When the scene finishes, Daly and Levine break off to shoot content for The Voice's social media as Ballerini sweetly chats with the crew. The first-time Coach and country princess looks gorgeous in a red jumpsuit, her blonde hair cascading down in beach-y waves. Legend, meanwhile, is rocking a printed jacket, and Bublé's wearing one of his signature suits. As for Levine? He's got on a cardigan that only makes sense if you feel the chill in this empty Voice studio.
Well, empty until now. As the audience starts arriving at their seats, the energy in the room changes. Yes, that's partially because of the pump-up music blaring on the speakers and the hype man tasked with getting people stoked—but there's an organic electricity as well. People are ready for a show.
And that's exactly what they got. The audience erupted in cheers and applause as the four Coaches walked on stage and sat down in their big red chairs (which, by the way, look even bigger in person). At this point, The Voice is a well-oiled machine, and it was no time before the first Artist of the day's Blind Audition, which got a few chair turns. As Ballerini waited to hear who the Artist picked as their Coach—her hat was in the ring—she cutely hid behind her cup.
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The Blind Audition ended, and there were a few minutes before the next. Bublé walked over and talked to the audience. Levine and Legend chatted by the latter's chair.
Blind Auditions then happened in quick succession, but additional quick breaks in between setups allowed for even more off-the-cuff moments between the Coaches. Levine frequently took standing breaks between Acts. Ballerini took stretch breaks, as well, one that included touching her toes. With so much sitting they're doing on camera, this was all pretty understandable. At one point, Bublé went back to the audience and gave a few prizes out—it's clear he was genuinely thrilled to be interacting with them.
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Genuine. That's the word to describe watching the Voice Coaches film the show. Whether they're interacting together or with the Artists, whether they're watching Blind Auditions or filming backstage segments, there's an authentic joy and playfulness to how these four work. Even when they’re doing mundane things—like stretching and waiting for the next Blind Audition—they do them with a tangible giddiness for the show. It's in these little moments that you realize Voice Coaches like Adam Levine, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini, and Michael Bublé are, at their core, music nerds who love talking and working with other Artists.
And it's finally time to watch them in action. The Voice Season 27 premieres Monday, February 3 at 8/7c on NBC and streams next day on Peacock. The show will subsequently air Mondays at 8/7c on NBC.
