America welcomed new talent to The Voice stage on Monday and Tuesday night. Season 11 kicked off with incredible vocals and four judges, two of which are new to the show. Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine gave quite a performance while fighting for their teams. Each judge has their own genre and flare they bring to the show, making this season unique.
Keys’ personality shined during this premiere, showing her poise and class throughout the competition. Something that stuck out was her lack of makeup. Keys might not have been dressed extravagantly, but her simple look made her presence that much more wonderful.
Keys has sparked the #nomakeup hashtag on instagram from her decision to not cover up anymore. She released an essay on “Lenny” talking about her realization,“‘Cause I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.” Her powerful message is an inspiration to women everywhere to be their true selves and not fall into stereotypes. Her raw look and sweet personality resonated with a lot of the contestants, making them more drawn to her team.
Character is definitely something Cyrus does not lack. Though she was dressed a bit out of the box, contestants still wanted to join her team and work with her. People might assume that Cyrus’ look makes her less appealing to others, but it actually does the opposite. Contestants seem to connect with the fact that she wants express herself in her own way. Both Cyrus and Keys inspired the women and men who stepped on that stage and made them feel comfortable in expressing their true selves.
Shelton brought his usual sass and charisma to the show while taunting the other judges and trying to steal all of their contestants. Shelton is currently dating Gwen Stefani, a former judge from Season 10, whom he could not resist name dropping to a contestant Levine wanted, resulting in him choosing Shelton. Shelton has no problem stirring the pot amongst the judges and starting as much drama as he can. This makes for a good show, but it can also portray Shelton in a negative light at times.
Levine, a popular popstar, showed his love and compassion for music and the contestants. When he wanted someone to join his team, he had no problem letting everyone know. Shelton tried his best to harass Levine and steal as many of his desired teammates as he could. Shelton even made fun of Levine’s suit, calling him a “driver.” Though this was humorous, one feels bad for Levine at times when he is constantly being put down by the other judges. Everyone knows it is fun and games, but he seemed genuinely irritated by some of the comments Shelton and Cyrus make.
The judges did a fantastic job opening this season up. Cyrus and Keys joining “The Voice” was a great idea and will definitely bring in more viewers, adding a different feel to the show. Hopefully the rest of the season continues to blow the audience away and introduce more amazing talent to the world.