NBC’s ‘The Voice’ season 7: Alicia Keys to mentor Pharrell Williams’ team

Allow this to be some singing-competition news that you may have seen coming: Alicia Keys is coming to “The Voice” as a mentor.

Keys herself confirmed the news on Twitter, saying that she helped to advise Pharrell Williams’ team during the Battle Rounds portion of the competition. This means that she’ll probably be on at least a couple of episodes of the show, and it’s a nice little platform for her while being encouraging to others at the same time.

The only reason we’re not surprised by this is because Keys has become a singing-show staple. She’s appeared on many, and also had her songs scattered across the board. Think about how many times that you’ve heard “Girl on Fire,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” and “No One” on these shows over the years. They are great songs, but it’s a ton. At least we know that she is an entertaining presence, and is therefore guaranteed to be something interesting to watch. Blake Shelton picked Little Bit Town, for example, and while they may be great, that’s an unknown for the time being. As for the other advisers, they are Gwen Stefani / Gavin Rosdale and Adam Levine / Stevie Nicks. The latter pairing is the one that currently intrigues us the most.

“The Voice” does not premiere until Monday, September 22, so this should be a further indication to you about just how early on in the game the show tapes. They have to get everything ready to go well in advance so that scheduling can work out, and artists can take advantage of tour dates in the summer / early fall.

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Photo: NBC