With "The Voice" 2017 premiere just a month away, NBC mounted a media campaign on Aug. 25 to spur fan excitement over the hit reality TV show's return to the airwaves. Materials released via several different sources included a two-minute preview featuring judges Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, and Jennifer Hudson, a closer look at newcomer Hudson's initial moments as a participant, and an interview with "The Voice" executive producer Mark Burnett.
'The Voice' 2017 is a family affair
In an interview with Variety, Burnett spoke of the family-like vibe between the coaches, noting that Shelton and Levine's legendary repartee could be likened to "a family playing a board game." He praised the entire quartet of mentors for "playing great together" and Hudson in particular for taking to her new role with panache and strength.
Jennifer Hudson ready for her 'The Voice' USA debut
In fact, a short video posted to Access Hollywood on Aug. 24 shows a confident and decidedly sassy Hudson in her early moments alongside her new co-stars, and she looks every bit the part of a "The Voice" superstar coach.
Hudson is also prominently featured in a promotional video tweeted out by the official "The Voice" Twitter account on Aug. 25. In the two-minute piece, Hudson calls the opportunity to mentor aspiring artists to greatness "gold" and shows off the pipes that helped to earn her an Academy Award for her role in "Dreamgirls."
The other coaches also took some time to share their opinions of their brand new co-judge, with Cyrus declaring "I love Jennifer Hudson so I'm excited that she's here," and Levine admitting -- in his usual deadpan tone -- that he's "super jealous" of her Oscar.
Country superstar Shelton cited her experience as a judge on "The Voice" UK and admitted that she's "not a rookie," but reminded Hudson that things would be different in the USA.
Season 13 nuts and bolts
In addition to coaches Jennifer Hudson, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and Miley Cyrus (and long-time emcee Carson Daly), season 13 of "The Voice" will also feature a quartet of Battle Round advisors, including Rascal Flatts (for Team Blake), Kelly Rowland (for Team Jennifer), Billy Ray Cyrus (for Team Miley), and Joe Jonas (for Team Adam).
The Sept. 25 premiere of "The Voice" 2017 will feature the first portion of the season's blind auditions, with the remainder of the blinds, the battle rounds, and the knockouts taking place in the weeks that follow. Fan voting will begin with the live playoffs, as the hopefuls compete for votes and iTunes vote multipliers.
