“The Voice” is just getting season 22 started off but there is some big news coming out of “The Voice” camp for next season, where one judge returns, another is ending a run, and two new faces take up spots in the big rad chairs.

With the exception of host Carson Daly, Blake Shelton is the only other original cast member still on the show, but Shelton has announced that the next season – number 23 – will be his last.  Over the years, Shelton has coached eight of his singers to a win – which he never lets his fellow coaches forget.  But he has also coached those eight winners and countless other singers to successful music careers in Nashville and the Country music scene.  But after over 10 years of coaching singers, Shelton is ready to move on to something new.

After taking a break over the summer to spend time with her family, Kelly Clarkson returns to the big red chair next season and harass Blake Shelton for one more season.

John Legend has been a part of the coaching crew for the past several seasons but is taking a break at the end of this season.  Two new coaches will be taking a seat in one of the big red chairs when former Once Direction singer Niall Horan and Hip-Hop artists Chance the Rapper join the cast.

Chance the Rapper issued a statement on his joining “The Voice” cast saying, “I’m thrilled to join ‘The Voice’ as a Coach for the next season. I’m excited to help other Artists get to the next level and make the most of this life-changing experience. Get ready for #TeamChance.”  Chance is an independent music artist who has gone on to win Grammy Awards and has been a judge on the rap reality competition series “Rhythm + Flow” on Netflix.

Niall Horan also issued a statement saying, In his own statement, Horan said, “I’m excited to be joining this season of ‘The Voice’ as a Coach. I’m looking forward to meeting and mentoring the new crop of talent while we battle it out with the other teams!”  Horan was a contestant on the similar reality music competition series “The X Factor” where judge Simon Cowell created a group out of four singer that became known as One Direction who went on to top music charts and sell out concert halls before the guys chose to pursue their own solo careers.

When “The Voice” first went on the air country music star Blake Shelton and rock star and lead singer for the band Maroon 5 Adam Levine with various musicians take turns in the two remaining chairs with some coaches lasting only one or two season; while others stayed for several seasons.  Adam Levine left the show after 16 seasons with three wins. 

Blake Shelton has announced that the upcoming season will be his last; along with Levine, Shelton has shared the stage, bantered with, blocked, and at time outwitted a long list of fellow musicians…
Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green shared the big red chairs for the first three seasons with Shelton and Levine as the original coaches; since that time Sharkira, Usher, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, and Camila Cabello have all taken a whirl in the spinning big red chairs.