Chris Haston/NBCGwen Stefani‘s got a pretty sweet gig: not only does she once again get to be a coach on The Voice — which returns for a 12th season tonight — but she gets to be on it with her boyfriend, Blake Shelton. Gwen says she’s looking forward to an “exchange of love” this season, but not with Blake: with the singers on her team.
“I am no longer a newbie. I am here for the third time. I can’t believe it. I’m so unbelievably excited,” says the No Doubt singer. “I’m just ready. I’m so awake, I’m so inspired, I’m so ready to share my journey with my team: It’s just going to be this exchange of love.”
“One thing I really, really wanted [this season] was some younger girls,” Gwen says of choosing her team this time around. “Because I feel like, ‘Wow, I just lived your dream. And not only did I do it when I was younger, but I got to do it for a long, extended time. So I want to share that with you.'”
“I’ve learned along the way that when you give, you receive,” she adds. “It’s, like, this exchange, and I’m excited to just do that exchange.”
Gwen is currently on an artistic high thanks to her highly personal solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, and the tour she did to promote it. Now, she’s ready to channel that into mentoring others.
Says Gwen, “I love stepping outside of being on stage and performing or writing and helping somebody else fulfill what their dream might be.”
Of course, she’ll also try to beat Blake while she’s doing that.
The Voice returns to NBC tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
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