New Coaches Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper Join ‘The Voice’ Vets for ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ Cover

It makes sense that the lead-up to the season premiere of a singing competition like The Voice would include all four coaches gathering around to perform together. With two new coaches – Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper – on board, alongside Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, it’s almost like a rite of passage. To be on The Voice, you have to have a voice, so the quartet put their skills on display in a warm cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

Backed by a full band, the coaches sat in a cozy circle of chairs to serenade each other under faux candlelight. “At long last love has arrived,” Shelton sang, gesturing to Horan sitting beside him with dramatic emphasis. “And I thank God I’m alive.”

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Clarkson’s signature vocal control was paired with Chance the Rapper, who added texture to the performance with backing ad-libs scattered between rap-sung lyrics. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” ended up being the perfect backdrop not only for the four musicians to show off their individuality, but also to preview the camaraderie they built with one another while filming the show.

Season 23 of The Voice premieres on Monday, March 6, on NBC and Peacock. This set of episodes will mark Horan and Chance the Rapper’s first, but Shelton’s last season with the show.

“It changed the path of my career. When I came on as a coach on this show, everything in my life was turned upside down,” Shelton recently told the Today Show of the impact the show had on his life. “And in a good way, you know? This has been incredible, but it’s time, you know. It’s time for not even what’s next. A little bit of nothing would be nice.”

Horan joins the show with the added benefit of having previously competed on a singing competition himself. The X Factor was to him what American Idol was to Clarkson, except she actually won, and he got to be one-fifth of One Direction, which she recently joked is basically the same thing.

“I love finding new talent online and things, so I really wanted to get involved and find a new crop of talent that we can nurture and make careers of,” Horan told NBC Insider about joining as a coach. “I’m excited to win this thing. I’ve got an unbelievable team of ridiculous talent. I didn’t hit my buzzer every time, because I was being super picky about who I wanted on my team. I wanted all different types of singers, all different types of genres, just wanted character.”

Chance the Rapper is completely new to the scene but ready to jump into the ring. “I think I’m most excited to see the Battle Rounds just to see my team battle it out for a spot, duet a song they may be unfamiliar with, and turn it into their own,” he told NBC Insider. “That’s, like, what this whole show is about: showing what your vocal feels like on these big, famous records. That’s gonna make for good TV, for sure.”

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