Plus, Legend dishes on Nick Jonas' return to the coaching panel.
The Voice season 20 is almost here -- and returning coach John Legend has some serious star power on his side.
The performer revealed on Monday that his celeb mentor for the upcoming season will be none other than... Brandy!
"Her track record as a successful artist speaks for itself and we've been loving her and cherishing her as an artist of our culture for such a long time," Legend raved when the two sat down with ET.
"What I tell her and what is so resonant to me about her is not only has she had a great career and had lots of hits, but singers love Brandy," he added. "They all look up to her and she's so influential to other singers. For a show like ours where it's all about mentoring singers, for them to see her when they walk in the room... it's just a magical moment every time."
Legend said Brandy was his "first choice" when he saw a list of potential season 20 mentors, and the love goes both ways. Brandy told ET that her response to joining the show and mentoring Team Legend was an "immediate yes."
"I love John Legend," she said. "I think he has paved the way for so many artists and just to do what he does, just helping these singers come into their own and find their sound, find their way to be the artist that they wanna be, I just wanted to work with him with that and I just feel like this is a part of my higher purpose."
"Music is my life and I can tell everyone here, music is their life as well," she continued. "I would love to just encourage and help the next person get to where they wanna go within themselves and share their gift with the world."
In fact, Brandy's loved her experience on The Voice so much, she's ready to go full-time! "I've been yelling 'fifth chair' all day," she laughed. "Fifth chair!"
For season 20, Legend joins returning coaches Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, with season 18 coach Nick Jonas returning to take Gwen Stefani's chair -- after the No Doubt singer got her first win in season 19 with young star Carter Rubin.
"He doesn’t wanna wait," Legend said of Jonas' determination to get a win in his second season on the show. "He’s had one season where he didn’t win and he's ready to get his first win in now. He is tough competition."
"I always prided myself on being the four-chair king, [when everyone's] going against each other that I had the better chance of winning," he admitted. "I won more often than I didn’t. But this time, Nick's been doing his thing and I may have to use my steal against Nick for real."
While the other coaches will also have the benefit of celeb mentors -- Dan + Shay for Team Blake, Luis Fonsi for Team Kelly and Darren Criss for Team Nick -- thankfully, Legend has another secret weapon up his sleeve, wife Chrissy Teigen, who he said helps him pick some of the songs for his team members because the two have "different musical tastes."
"It's cool to have someone else around you that has different taste than you, because it kinda complements your own taste and it sends you in directions you might not have thought of on your own," he shared. "She does give me good advice on the music."
The Voice returns for season 20 on Monday, March 1, at 8pm PT/ET on NBC. Check out some highlights from season 19 in the video below!
RELATED CONTENT:
