Reba McEntire Will Bring ‘Razzle Dazzle’ to Beat Gwen Stefani, Fill Blake Shelton’s ‘Big Boots’ on ‘The Voice’

Reba McEntire knows she has big boots to fill on The Voice — but the country legend is up for the challenge.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Voice live show on Monday, McEntire, 68, opened up about joining NBC’s hit singing competition show as a coach next season alongside returning coaches John Legend, Niall Horan and Gwen Stefani.

“The country lane — I’m taking over for Blake so I’m gonna represent country music. [He’s got] big boots. I don’t know what size those boots are, but they’re big, so I’m gonna really work hard to make him proud,” said McEntire of Shelton, who is wrapping up his time as a coach on the show after 23 seasons.

Reba McEntire to Join ‘The Voice’ as New Coach Following Blake Shelton’s Exit After 23 Seasons

McEntire’s also got fierce competition in Shelton’s wife Stefani, who’s returning as a coach for the seventh time. “I do understand that I need to go razzle-dazzle with Gwen being on there,” says McEntire. “Gwen’s always got the nicest outfits, so I really need to step up my game on that.”

Reba McEntire. Tyler Golden/NBC via Getty Images

While McEntire is no stranger to the show — she served as a mega mentor on The Voice this season — the star says she still has plenty of catching up to do.

“John and Niall [are] all really funny and clever, and always have so many smart things to say, so I’ve got my work cut out for me,” says McEntire. “I’m most excited about basically getting started, and I’m sure that I’ll have lots of help, lots of advice, lots of people coming around saying, ‘You can do this. You can do that.’ And I’m not afraid at all. I think it’ll be a very fun adventure.”

News of McEntire’s official addition to the show as a coach came at NBC Upfronts, where the singer performed her hit song “Fancy” onstage following the big reveal.

She appeared on the first season in 2011 as a battle advisor to team Shelton and revealed in 2020 that she previously turned down the gig.

“It is very true,” McEntire said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “It was a very popular show in Holland, I’m pretty sure, and I watched the tape, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to pass on that,’ because I don’t think I could ever be able to tell somebody that they’re terrible or go find another job or hope you like your nighttime job. I couldn’t do that day in and day out. I just couldn’t do it. So I did pass on it.”

She did admit, however, that she later regretted her decision.

“I mean, after you see a very successful show that’s been running, what, 15 years? Uh, yeah!” she told Cohen with a laugh. “I’m like shoot, I should have done that.”