Ariana Grande will be the newest addition to the cast of NBC’s singing competition show, “The Voice,” replacing Nick Jonas as a judge for the show’s 21st season.
Grande shared the news on Instagram on March 29, surprising both fans of her music and the program.
Grande’s “management team has been negotiating to get her on the show for a while,” and while she is replacing Nick Jonas for this season, he “will be back soon,” according to a Page Six source.
Skyla Vitullo, a freshman psychology major, said,that she was “excited for Ariana to join the show because she is one of the biggest pop stars today and will make a great addition.”
Some students noted that they grew up watching Grande on Nickelodeon TV shows, such as “Victorious” and “Sam and Cat,” in the 2010s.
Vitullo said she believes Grande’s presence will most likely attract younger viewers, as they will be interested in seeing how one of their favorite actors will do as a judge.
Grande’s presence on “The Voice” also comes at a hefty price, as she will be receiving the highest pay ever for a judge. On iHeartRadio’s “Naughty But Nice” podcast, it was revealed that Grande will be paid between $20 and $25 million. Grande will be making more than Blake Shelton’s pay of $13 to $14 million, even though he has been a judge for every season.
Maryam Ali, a freshman diplomacy and international relations major, said that she believes Grande’s successful experience as a young artist will help her in offering guidance to contestants.
“She has met and worked with many artists who may carry different styles than her in singing, so she will most likely have an open mind when working with contestants,” Ali said. “I think Ariana will probably be an amazing judge due to her ability to pinpoint talent.”
Noelle Vacca, a freshman communication major, said that she’ll definitely tune in to see how Grande does, despite not really watching “The Voice” typically.
“I feel like she’s at the peak of her career, so she’s being used to get the ratings up for ‘The Voice’ and not the other way around, which typically happens,” Vacca said. “I figure this is something to keep her busy.”
Vacca said that she believes Grande will offer good insight into the music industry, as she has hit a high level of stardom. When comparing Grande’s trajectory into music with other stars, Vacca said that she feels that Grande was able to truly separate her singing career from her acting career.
“TV Ariana Grande and singer Ariana Grande are two different people in my head, so I’m looking forward to seeing her on the show,” Vacca said.
The new season will begin airing on NBC this fall.
Dareen Abukwaik can be reached at dareen.abukwaik@student.shu.edu.
