Fifteen years and 30 seasons later, “The Voice” has had to evolve alongside the music business.
As streams and record sales have become less valuable for artists, touring makes up for a large part of artists’ revenue streams in 2026. “The Voice” has made a concerted effort to support and prepare their up-and-coming artists for the real world, and Season 30 is no different.
The milestone season will see the winner of the singing competition series receive $100,000, a record deal with Universal Music Group and — a first this year — a performance slot on the main stage at the 2027 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City.
“When we started the show, which I can’t believe is 15 years ago, the avenue for that [platforming artists] was a record deal,” the showrunner and executive producer Audrey Morrissey told TheWrap. “And the world has changed, and it’s not necessarily that anymore.”
“Starting with Napster, in 1999, the toothpaste got out of the tube, and you couldn’t put it back in, and that completely disrupted the record business,” she said.
Now artists are discovered and increasingly promoting their new music on platforms like TikTok. Morrissey said that led to the NBC series to establish a partnership with the vertical video platform.
For Season 30, viewers will be able to vote for their favorite artists on TikTok. That voting period has also been extended for the new season with six weeks of live shows, the longest stretch of live shows in five years. Morrissey said this was another fan request this season.
“There’s a real palpable buzz and energy surrounding Season 30 that we haven’t seen in years. It really feels like we’re relaunching the show,” she said. “It has that sort of wild maverick spirit of the early seasons of ‘The Voice.’”
In anticipation for the milestone season, NBC also produced “The Voice: 30th Season Celebration,” which premieres Thursday. The special reunited the coaches from the first season — CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine with Gwen Stefani replacing OG Christina Aguilera.
An exclusive clip from the special showed the hosts reminiscing on the early seasons, of which they called a Wild West. One throwback clip showed Shelton, offering a contestant some Sarsaparilla right out of his cup.
Green and Levine said that the Blind Auditions chair really set the tone for the show. “To me the chair, as goofy as it seemed initially, but it was also the interesting part to me,” the “Forget You” singer said.
“For me at least, it really heightens your sense of hearing because you’re not seeing anything,” Levine added.
Morrissey remembered those early seasons as “lightning in a bottle.” When the show came out in 2011, she did not anticipate its longevity and relevance.
Throughout the seasons, a rotating group of coaches have made their mark on the series. The OGs have loomed large over the series with memorable stints from musical icons like Ariana Grande, Snoop Dogg and Alicia Keys.
For Season 30, fan favorties Levine and Kelly Clarkson will return to coach with new additions Queen Latifah and Riley Green. Morrissey said that she has been trying for years to have Latifah coach on the show, but the timing was never right. Once she got in the chair, the executive producer said that everything clicked.
“The woman radiates. She’s like a beam of sunshine,” she said. “It’s like she has an internal light switch, you turn it on, and she’s just glowing. She’s mesmerizing.”
Rising country star Riley Green brought the star power as well as the “funny bone” needed for a good coach, Morrisey said.
“He’s not Blake, but he’s his own version of an up-and-coming country artist on the rise who has a strong funny bone,” she said. “We saw an opportunity to ignite a new bromance, so to speak, with Adam and Riley.”
The broadcast television landscape has changed extensively since “The Voice” was first on the air. Morissey said that the most important part of retaining audiences was knowing where to reach them.
“It’s a delicate balance between staying true to your roots, like what the show is, but mixing it up,” she said. “The show is such a broad show; it’s multi-generational. People watch it with their parents, their grandparents. It’s for all ages, but now younger ages don’t necessarily watch linear television, so it’s about making sure that you’re reaching them, so that they are still connected to the show.”
The showrunner hopes the expansive partnerships with TikTok and social media may captivate digital consumer audiences in a way that other broadcast shows like “Dancing With the Stars” have.
“The Voice: 30th Season Celebration” airs Thursday, Sept. 17 at 10 p.m. ET / PT. Season 30 premieres the following Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. All episodes will air on NBC and be available to steam the next day on Peacock.
The post ‘The Voice’ Boss Shares How the Show Has Changed With the World Over 30 Seasons | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.
