The four-time Emmy Award-winning "The Voice" returns with the strongest vocalists from across the country invited to compete on the blockbuster vocal competition show's new season. EGOT winner and multi-talented musician, actor, singer and songwriter John Legend makes his debut as a coach this season. Coming off her second consecutive win on Season 15 - this time with a country artist - three-time Grammy Award winner and musical icon Kelly Clarkson returns alongside lovable veterans Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, as well as host Carson Daly.

The show's innovative format features five stages of competition, beginning with the Blind Auditions, then the Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and the Live Performance Shows.

During the Blind Auditions, the decisions from the musician coaches are based solely on voice and not on looks. The coaches hear artists perform, but they don't get to see them - thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by an artist's voice, they push a button to select that artist for their team. At this point, the coach's chair will swivel so they can face the artist they have selected. If more than one coach pushes their button, the power then shifts to the artists to choose which coach they want to work with. If no coach pushes a button, the artist is eliminated from the competition.

Also returning this season is the "block," which adds another layer of excitement during the Blind Auditions. Each of the recently redesigned coach chairs has an extra set of buttons with the names of the other three coaches. The block button prevents a coach from adding a new artist to their team. The coaches can only use their block buttons on one artist for the entire first round of the competition. When a coach hits the block button with the name of one of the other three coaches, the coach who hit it automatically turns around. A "blocked" coach only discovers they have been blocked if they try to select an artist for their team. The blocked coach's chair will still turn, but instead of their lane lighting up with their name, it says "BLOCKED." If the coach doesn't press their button to choose that artist, the block is still available for another audition.

Once the teams are set, the battle is on. The coaches dedicate themselves to developing their team of artists, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success, with help from their celebrity advisers. This season, the coaches enlisted music industry heavyweights to prepare their artists for the Battle Rounds. Legend teams up with Khalid, Clarkson with Kelsea Ballerini, Levine with Charlie Puth and Shelton with Brooks & Dunn.

During the Battle Rounds, the coaches pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. After the vocal battle, the coach must choose which singer will advance to the next round of competition, and the losing artist is available to be stolen by another coach. Each coach has two steals available during the Battle Rounds.

At the end of the Battle Rounds, only the strongest members of each coach's roster remain and proceed to the Knockout Rounds. Here, the artists will be paired against a teammate once more, but this time they will select their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitor watches and waits. They are vying for their coach's confidence and decision to take them to the final and crucial round before the Live Performance Shows, the Playoffs.

One superstar universal adviser will be on hand to work with all of the coaches and their teams as they prepare the artists for this challenge. But the coaches alone will choose the winner, and the artist not selected will be available to be stolen by another coach. In addition to their one steal, each coach has the opportunity to attempt to save an artist they just eliminated during the Knockout Round. However, if another coach presses his or her steal button, the artist can then decide whether to go to a new team or return to their former coach.

Each coach has one steal and one save available during the Knockout Rounds.

In the Live Playoff Rounds, the Top 24 artists will compete to secure a spot in the Live Performance Shows. Each team has six artists left. Artists will perform and the top two vote-earners on each team will automatically advance. Each coach will then have to select one of their remaining artists to complete their roster and move on to the final phase of the competition - the Live Performance Shows.

In the final Live Performance Shows phase of the competition, the Top 12 artists will compete each week against each other during a live broadcast. The television audience will vote to save their favorite artists. Three artists with the lowest number of votes will be eligible for the "Instant Save." These artists will each perform a new song that proves why they should earn the save. America will then have the opportunity to save their favorite performer by tweeting out #VoiceSave along with the artist's name. The singers with the lowest number of votes will be sent home each week. In the end, one will be named "The Voice" and receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

"The Voice" is a presentation of MGM Television, Talpa Media USA Inc. and Warner Horizon Unscripted and Alternative Television. The series was created by John de Mol, who serves as an executive producer along with Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson and Stijn Bakkers.

CREDITS

Season 16 Premiere

February 25, 2019

Day and Time
Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c

Host
Carson Daly

Coaches
Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton

Executive Producers
John de Mol, Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson, Stijn Bakkers

Developed By
John de Mol

Director
Alan Carter

Segment Director
Alex Van Wagner

Co-Executive Producers
Teddy Valenti

Supervising Producers
Anthea Bhargava, Keith Dinielli, Clyde Lieberman, Kyley Tucker, Brittany Martin Porter, Melysa Lovell Garratt

Senior Producers
Amanda Borden, Dan Paschen

Producers
Carson Daly, Tod Schellinger, Jared Wyso, Hayley Opalek McSherry

Supervising Casting Producer
Michelle McNulty

Supervising Digital Producer
Suzanne Lee

Consulting Producer
Melissa Wong

Production Designer
Anton Goss

Off-Stage Production Designer
James Connelly

Lighting Designer
Oscar Dominguez

Origination
Los Angeles, California

Produced By
MGM Television, Talpa Media USA Inc., Warner Horizon Unscripted and Alternative Television

Format By
Talpa Content, B.V.

Artist Photo Galleries: Season 1