The drama of NBC’s incredibly successful singing competition has always been about stars.

There are ones in the making, as hopeful vocalists give it their all onstage. There are ones in the spinning red chairs, who range from music legends to country heavy hitters. And when The Voice Season 27 premieres on February 3, there will be another one: Kelsea Ballerini, the Grammy-nominated pop singer who is making her full-time coaching debut. She’s not the only star being welcomed to the podium this go-round: Returning favorite Adam Levine will again join the coaching panel of the long-running series after a five-year absence.

The two join host Carson Daly and fellow coaches John Legend and Michael Bublé (last season’s winner), marking a new combination of experts who can help the last singer standing win $100,000 and a coveted recording contract. “I went in thinking I had a vague lay of the land, but being a full-on coach is a different can of worms and something you can only prepare for by just getting your butt in the seat,” says Ballerini, who spent Season 15 as a “fifth coach” (working with singers who didn’t make it through the Blind Auditions for a second chance to enter the competition). She also served as a celebrity mentor in Season 16 and subbed for an ill Kelly Clarkson during Season 20’s Battle Rounds. “I definitely think filling in for Kelly during the Battle Rounds a few seasons ago helped me know what to expect behind the scenes,” she adds, “but the rest has just been learning as I go.”

As for Levine, it was a comeback process that executive producer Audrey Morrissey says is best characterized as a “good game of cat and mouse.” Although the EP had nudged Levine over the years about returning ever since he left in 2019, the Maroon 5 frontman was noncommittal — until someone they both knew very well unknowingly helped pushed things along.

That person turned out to be Blake Shelton, who, like Levine, was one of the original coaches when the show premiered on April 26, 2011, along with Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green. It was Shelton (who exited after Season 23) receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2023 that sparked a change in Levine’s tune. “I saw [Levine] there and I cornered him and asked, ‘When are you gonna come back?’” Morrissey says. “I think that was the one that really started him thinking, ‘Maybe I will.’ It still took two years!”

As with any long-running show, there have been numerous coach changes over the years, and The Voice is careful in the way it nurtures the dynamics between the four individuals. “We do a lot of prep ahead of time,” Morrissey says. “We send the new coaches links with examples of great Blind Auditions and really fun moments.” The EP adds that over the past few years, she’s made sure to get the coaches together before taping begins so they can get to know each other better. “Adam and John are intense competitors, and they’re really good at what they do,” says Morrissey. “And Kelsea was just up for it and can hang with the boys.”

That didn’t mean Ballerini’s job was as easy as it seems. Despite her admittedly competitive nature, she says that “the trash talk” (the verbal sparring and banter that typically takes place between coaches during a taping) ended up being one of the toughest challenges. “I really hope people can feel the mutual respect and friendship we have come to have for each other through the screen,” she says. “One of us would try to make a funny, snarky, competitive comment and immediately be like, ‘But I love you and you’re probably right!’”

It’s that supportive tone, rather than sour notes of harsh criticisms and vicious eliminations, that has been at the show’s core since day one—and that’s not going to change anytime soon. “This show did not operate that way,” says Morrissey. “It’s just a big love bubble.” Sing out!