The four-time Emmy Award-winning "The Voice" returns with the strongest vocalists from across the country invited to compete in the blockbuster vocal competition show's new season.

Superstar singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson makes her debut as a coach this season, with Season 12-winning coach and musical icon Alicia Keys taking a red chair alongside the show's returning coaches, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, and host Carson Daly.

The show's innovative format features five stages of competition: the first begins with the blind auditions, then the battle rounds, knockouts, playoffs and, finally, 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 the artists perform, but they don't get to see them - thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by the artist's voice, he or she pushes a button to select the artist for his or her team. At this point, the coach's chair will swivel so that he or she can face the artist he or she has selected. If more than one coach pushes his or her 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.

Once the teams are set, the battle is on.

The coaches dedicate themselves to developing their teams of artists, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success, along with help from their celebrity advisers. 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 of his or her singers will advance to the next round of competition, while 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 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.

Each coach has one steal available during the knockout rounds.

In the playoff rounds, the Top 20 artists will compete to secure a spot in the live shows. Artists will perform and the coaches will then select three of their five artists to complete their roster and move on to the final phase of the competition - the live shows.

In the final live performance 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 represents 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 will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.

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

CREDITS

Day and Time
Mondays and Tuesdays 8/7c

Host
Carson Daly

Coaches
Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton

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

Developed By
John de Mol

Director
Alan Carter

Segment Director
Alex Van Wagner

Co-Executive Producer
Teddy Valenti

Supervising Producers
Anthea Bhargava, Keith Dinielli, May Johnson, Clyde Lieberman, Kyley Tucker

Senior Producers
Ashley Baumann, Brittany Martin Porter, Bart Kimball

Producers
Carson Daly, Amanda Borden, Dan Paschen, Tod Schellinger, Jared Wyso

Supervising Casting Producer
Michelle McNulty

Supervising Digital Producer
Amanda Horning

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 & Alternative Television

Format By
Talpa Content, B.V.

Artist Photo Galleries: Season 1