Ariana Grande made her long-awaited coaching debut on Season 21 of NBC’s The Voice this week. We’re sharing our top five must-see, Ari moments from the Blind Auditions premiere!
that’s a wrap on week one !!!!! i hope you’ve enjoyed our first two episodes @NBCTheVoice. a warm warm welcome to my incredible #TeamAriana members (so far) katie rae, @vaughnmugol, @kkmohler, @chavonrodgers, and jim and sasha. i adore these humans. see you next monday! pic.twitter.com/wS583zvD9f
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) September 22, 2021
***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON 21 OF NBC’s ‘THE VOICE’***
Music Mogul Mash-up Art
The four coaches performed a mash-up of “Hold On, I’m Comin'” (John Legend & Blake Shelton) and “Respect” (Kelly Clarkson & Ariana Grande) to kick off Blind Auditions.
Ariana and Kelly’s voices blended together seamlessly, although they typically perform quite different genres. We need these two to make an album together ASAP! (An R&B/Country/Soul album, perhaps?)
Ariana Demands ARI-S-P-E-C-T
“God is a woman, I heard,” Legend said.
Although Ariana is the latest addition to The Voice, she doesn’t let the other coaches intimidate her just because she’s the new girl in town (shout-out Hairspray fans!)
When Katherine Ann Mohler hits the stage singing “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” by Ella Eyre, Blake and Ariana both turn their chairs. To Blake’s dismay, Mohler is a huge Arianator, even sporting Grande’s signature ponytail.
“This is not about her picking me because she’s a fan of me, this is about what I have to offer as far as teaching you about what I know about the business and producing…” Grande said. “It’s about building a lifelong career for yourself.”
“Get it,” Clarkson chimed in.
Despite Blake’s pitch, Mohler, 22, ultimately chose to join Team Grande. Considering Ariana’s powerful monologue, can you blame her?
Baby Gomez in the Future?
After powerhouse Katie Rae, 35, belted out Maren Morris’ “The Bones” for the panel, Grande, Legend, and Clarkson were left practically speechless.
“I love your vibrato, the tones, the runs, I love a strong, powerhouse, bad-bitch vocalist,” Grande said to the three-chair-turner, “I would be absolutely honored to work with you.”
Kelly then used her pitch to relate to Katie Rae on the topic of motherhood, but Ariana came in with the ultimate save.
“I know that you and Kelly have babies, but I will have a baby for you to be on my team,” Grande said. “I’m not, but I would — I’m kidding.”
This was enough to convince Sacramento mama Katie Rae, as she too confirmed her spot on Team Grande. Will Ariana hold up her end of the bargain with new hubby Dalton Gomez?
The Legend-ary Block
When Joshua Vacanti sang “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2 at his blind audition, Ariana jumped at the chance to turn her chair.
Unfortunately, Grande had been unknowingly blocked by Legend, which she took personally. Vacanti’s Broadway-quality voice would have been a shoo-in for Team Ariana, as Grande herself has a vast musical theatre background.
“It’s just so damn funny that Ariana got blocked,” Shelton chimed in.
This allowed John to take Team Ariana off the table, with Vacanti becoming a member of Team Legend.
The “thank u, next” Button
Ariana came up with an unrivaled plan to interrupt the other coaches — the “thank u, next” button. When Legend was making a pitch on behalf of joining his team, Grande slammed her “thank u, next” button, a brand new tactic on The Voice.
We’re thrilled to see how often Ari utilizes this advantage this season and hope to see her other singles featured via button as well.
Well played @ArianaGrande… well played! #TheVoice pic.twitter.com/YNAjRocTuA
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 21, 2021
Stay tuned in to The Voice on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8/7c to see how Ariana and her team progress in the Blind Auditions. We will see you back here at Battle Rounds (with musical theatre legend Kristin Chenoweth set to rep Team Ariana!)
