The Voice is back for Season 30: Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson and who to watch
The Voice is back for Season 30 with two familiar winners, two first-time coaches and a voting system designed to make the live shows feel genuinely live again. Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson return to face Queen Latifah and country star Riley Green, while viewers will eventually decide eliminations in real time through text messages and TikTok.
Levine arrives with momentum as his artist Alexia Jayy won Season 29, giving the Maroon 5 frontman his fourth victory as a coach, while Clarkson has also won the competition four times and remains one of its most successful mentors.
The winner is due to receive a performance slot on the main stage of Governors Ball 2027 in New York.
The three-night opening continues on 22 and 23 September at 8pm ET, following Monday’s two-hour premiere. From 28 September, NBC returns the show to its regular Monday-night schedule, while six weeks of live shows are planned later in the season.
Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson already have contenders
It is far too early to call a winner — most Blind Auditions have not aired yet — but Monday’s premiere produced several obvious names to track.
Destinee Monroe, a 32-year-old former major-label performer who sang Mötley Crüe‘s «Home Sweet Home», and Owen Uffens, 18, whom Levine called the «sleeper best voice of the season», are already on Team Adam. Uffens had barely performed beyond high school before joining the show, giving Levine an intriguing development project with Monroe.
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Clarkson’s early team features two young singers with big voices. Clarkson and Green liked 13-year-old Brianna Cameron‘s audition of River Deep – Mountain High. Cameron has performed as young Tina Turner on tour. After a two-chair turn, 21-year-old Hazel Gerson chose Clarkson despite Green’s aggressive pitch.
Queen Latifah has arguably the most striking early trio. Marcus Ladden Jr elicited strong reactions with Cry Me a River, while 16-year-old Mia Knight caused three chairs to turn before Latifah used the season’s new First-In Button to claim her right away.
BigCountry, a 37-year-old Army veteran, also joined Team Queen following a three-chair rendition of I Put a Spell on You.
Rather than one clear favourite, opening nite produced a variety of profiles: Cameron and Knight as precocious teenage vocalists, Monroe as the seasoned professional, Uffens as Levine’s raw prospect, and Ferryn and Brinkley as the first act every coach wanted.
Read also: Hannah Harper crowned winner of American Idol Season 24
How voting will work in Season 30
The public does not choose Blind Auditions or Battles. Each coach has one Steal and builds 12 teams, then pairs artists during Battle Rounds.
A big public vote starts with the new Cut Week. Two singers from each coach advance to the live rounds, while five more compete for one team spot. After the Top 12, viewers vote one eliminated artist back in to create the Top 13.
From there, voting accelerates compared to recent seasons. Six weeks of live shows allow viewers to vote by SMS or TikTok, with voting opening during the show and results announced the same night. Live episodes will be simulcast on NBC and Peacock in all US time zones.
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NBC says The Voice vote is limited to US and Puerto Rico viewers, but it advises checking season-specific rules when voting opens.
