NBC’s ‘The Voice’: Adam Levine says show still has ‘problems’ without superstar

You have to love Adam Levine for his honesty, even when it sometimes comes as a massive surprise to everyone … including possibly the producers of his own show “The Voice.”

The Maroon 5 frontman is currently in the spotlight thanks largely to the group’s new music, but while chatting with Rolling Stone, he made interesting comments about how when it comes to cultural impact, there is one thing that the show’s rival “American Idol” still has over it on a pretty substantial level:

“Idol has to be satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. The Voice is very successful, but it’s got a ways to go if it wants to have as profound an impact as Idol. I’m not going to lie to you: I think there are problems … Millions of people watch the show every week and fall in love with a singer, then you don’t hear much from them. We haven’t had a breakout success, like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood.”

We do very much understand where Adam is coming from here, at least in terms of this show not producing the same level of stars as “American Idol” keeping it from being something that defines music history. Unfortunately, we don’t think that it will ever really happen in the way that it did on the Fox show years ago. It is no longer treated as special for someone to win a singing show, and this show is set up to be about the coaches just as much as it is the singers. While “American Idol” in its earlier seasons did make a big star out of Simon Cowell, the winners of those first handful of seasons were able to do something that may not be possible in this internet / social media age where everyone sings.

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Photo: NBC