New Coaches Pose a Major Threat to [Spoiler] on The Voice Season 25

Credit: Art Streiber/NBC via Getty Image

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The Voice is back for an all-new season and it will be introducing not one, but two new coaches. Dan + Shay are joining the Season 25 coaching panel as the first-ever coaching duo. Keep reading to learn more about Dan + Shay, including how the double chair will work.

NBC’s The Voice is a reality TV singing competition in which four celebrity coaches form teams of contestants through blind auditions and compete against each other until there’s one winner. The winning contestant receiving $100,000 and a record deal with University Music Group. The series first premiered in 2011 with original coaches Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Christina Aguilera. Since then, dozens of coaches have come and gone on the series, including Kelly Clarkson, Shakira, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, and Nick Jonas, among others.

The Season 24 coaching panel consisted of two-time reining champion Niall Horan, longtime coach John Legend, returning coach Gwen Stefani and newcomer Reba McEntire. Of the four, only Legend and Reba are returning to the show for the upcoming Season 25. Taking over Horan and Stefani’s spots are Season 23 coach Chance The Rapper and country pop duo Dan + Shay.

There is plenty of anticipation for Dan + Shay’s debut on the show and we suspect that the friendly rivalries between coaches will heat up now that contestants are vying for the chance to have two coaches. This season also marks the first time there have been two country artists as coaches and the competition between country legend McEntire and Dan + Shay is sure to be fierce. Learn more about the artists below and how their team will work.

Who are Dan + Shay on The Voice?

Who are Dan + Shay? Country pop duo Dan +Shay are the newest coaches on The Voice and they’re making history as the show’s first-ever coaching duo. Vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney first began performing together as a duo in 2012. They’re best known for their unique blend of country and pop and for hits like “10,000 Hours,” “Speechless,” and “Bigger Houses.” The duo won three consecutive Grammy Awards for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

They were announced as new coaches on The Voice back in June 2023 and it has since been revealed that a custom red chair with two seats was been made for the duo. There will, however, be only one buzzer, which has fans curious about what will happen if the two artists disagree on who to choose for their team.

Speaking to Parade ahead of the Season 25 premiere, Dan + Shay explained that they are very in synch when it comes to music and are not worried about disagreeing. “We’ve had a lot of people ask that, what if one of you guys likes the artist and the other doesn’t?” Smyers saod. “Luckily, at this point in our career, we’re pretty in lock step, especially when it comes to music stuff. There hasn’t been yet, but I’m sure there will be a scenario where one of us is all in on somebody and the other one is a little bit still on the fence.”

He continued: “We’re being sponges out here and not just learning from our team and learning from the experience but learning from the other coaches.” Mooney added that they view McEntire as their biggest threat. “I do think that Reba is a huge roadblock for us,” he said. “It’s hard. Obviously, country music is really being represented this season, which is so incredible. But Reba is an absolute legend. There are so many people from all different genres that love Reba McEntire, watched her show, listened to her music and just love her. So, you really never know who’s going to just be absolutely in love with Reba. It doesn’t even have to be country. There’s been a lot of people from other genres that have gone with Reba.”

Dan + Shay do have the advantage of the double chair, however, and plenty of country artists will likely want a two-in-one coach. They are also already familiar with the show, as Season 25 will not be the first time they’ve appeared on it. The duo temporarily replaced Niall Horan during Season 24 when he couldn’t film due to a scheduling conflict and they paired up with nine-time winning coach Blake Shelton during Season 20 as mentors. They performed during the Season 15 and Season 23 finales as well.

Season 25 of The Voice premieres on NBC at 8 p.m. EST and streams on Peacock.