Rihanna will be a key advisor on the upcoming season of “The Voice,” it was announced on Thursday.
The surprise news was revealed by NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt during the network’s panel at the Television Critics’ Association press tour in Beverly Hills. Immediately after, the official Twitter account for “The Voice” tweeted, “RT to welcome @rihanna as Season 9’s Key Advisor! #VoiceRIHveal.”
As a key advisor, Rihanna will likely guide and mentor contestants from Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell, and Gwen Stefani’s teams, as opposed to working with just one group. Last season Reba McEntire and Nate Ruess fulfilled that role at different points, as Gossip Cop reported at the time, while Taylor Swift and Chris Martin have also had the honor.
Earlier this week, it was also revealed that John Fogerty will be the individual advisor for Levine’s team. Blake Shelton will be working with Brad Paisely, while Gwen Stefani will reportedly bring on Selena Gomez. And Pharrell’s partner may be Missy Elliott.
Rihanna, of course, has been covered on “The Voice” countless times, and with Pharrell coming off a winning season, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of magic they come up with. Season 9 of “The Voice” is slated to premiere on September 22. TELL US: Will you watch Rihanna on “The Voice”?