The newest 'Voice' coach has a few tricks up her sleeve!
Ariana Grande came to win on season 21 of The Voice -- and she's got a few tricks up her sleeve!
During Monday's season premiere, Ariana found herself pitted against fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson and John Legend for Katie Rae Mortimer, a stay-at-home mom who wowed the panel with her cover of Maren Morris' "The Bones."
Kelly bonded with Katie over their young sons, but Ari wasn't ready to back down. "I know that you and Kelly have a baby, but I will have a baby for you to be on my team," she joked, quickly adding, "I'm kidding."
However, when John made his pitch, Ariana broke out the big guns, hitting the button on her chair to interrupt her fellow coach with her hit, "Thank U, Next," playing through the Voice soundstage.
The strategy cracked Kelly up and even got a seal of approval from defending champ Blake Shelton, who said he was "proud" of the panel's newest trickster. "You can tell she's been a fan of the show for a long time and she's incredibly sneaky."
And it worked! Katie Rae became the first member of Team Ariana on this season of The Voice, and the "7 Rings" singer couldn't have been more thrilled.
"I trust your instincts. I only wanna help you execute your vision for yourself as an artist," she shared. "I might be new here, but I have a lot of experience as well...I've been through hell and back and I would love to work together and create and sing and be your coach."
ET spoke with the coaches during their season 21 press conference ahead of Monday's premiere, where John, Kelly and Blake placed the target squarely on Ariana's back as the first-time coach this season -- especially because so many of the show's young singers idolize the two-time GRAMMY winner's vocal talent and chart success.
"Of course she's a threat!" John said with a laugh. "She is hugely talented, hugely successful and has legions and legions of fans that know how to use the internet and vote."
"There's no disadvantage when you're Ariana Grande," Kelly agreed. "She can't say it. I will."
"It's embarrassing to follow her [onto the Voice stage]," Blake joked of the audience's enthusiasm for the "7 Rings" singer. "It exposes my lack of celebrity."
As a longtime "huge fan of The Voice," Ariana was humble about her possible advantages, but said she couldn't wait for fans to see how her season 21 team comes together.
"I have watched many seasons and I love watching the show," she said. "It always has the best energy. It's such wholesome, inspiring television, and I love seeing the different voices and watching so many people start careers for themselves. It's a beautiful, amazing thing."
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC. See more from season 21 in the video below!
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