"'The Voice' is going great. ... We've been watching and cheering everybody on, and it's really exciting. I love to do 'The Voice,'" Reba told The Oklahoman in an one-on-one interview behind the scenes at April's Western Heritage Awards in Oklahoma City.
"Our first season ... Season 24 was fun. Season 25 is a blast, and (there are) so many talented people you get to listen to."
Season 25 of NBC's hit singing contest enters its final phase May 6 , with the live performance rounds airing at 7 p.m. Mondays, followed by the live results shows at 7 p.m. Tuesdays. It all culminates with the two-part Season 25 finale May 20-21, when the newest winner of "The Voice" will be revealed.
Who are the Top 12 finalists on 'The Voice' Season 25?
The Emmy-winning show's Season 25 coaches — Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Reba , EGOT winner John Legend , three-time Grammy winner Chance the Rapper and three-time Grammy-winning country duo and coaching newcomers Dan + Shay — have been working since the show premiered its latest cycle in February to build a team of top performers and then narrow it this season's final 12 contestants .
"I'm taking a break (from) touring for 2024. We probably won't do anything until the end of '25. But I do have music coming out, and that hopefully will be aired on 'The Voice.' Then, we're going to shoot a video for it," she said a few hours before accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Western Heritage Awards in OKC.
When the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards stream live May 16 from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, exclusively on Prime Video, she is slated to take the stage there for a special performance featuring her new music, too. The Oklahoma native is hosting the upcoming ACM Awards for the 17th time.
What do Reba and boyfriend Rex Linn enjoy about her coaching experiences on 'The Voice?'
In her second season as a coach on "The Voice," Reba said that the opportunity to listen to so many incredible singers is the most rewarding part of working on the show.
"They're from all over the country, and they're so talented. And this is the 25th season, and they've been finding these — I'm not gonna say young kids, because there was one that was 65 years old that was trying out this season," Reba said during a Western Heritage Awards panel discussion April 13 at OKC's National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
"They're eager, they're sponges, they want to learn."
If she were to go through "The Voice's" famed blind auditions , Reba said she'd be a nervous wreck.
"The thing that fascinates me so much is that they've got the nerve, the wherewithal, to get up on stage with a great band, but in front of people who've been in the business for a while," she said. "I don't know that I could do it at 13 years old, and there is one contestant that is."
Reba's boyfriend, actor and fellow Oklahoman Rex Linn, moderated the Western Heritage Awards panel. He shared with the crowd of about 300 attendees how much he enjoys watching "The Voice" contestants get starstruck over his iconic sweetheart, whom he has nicknamed "Tater Tot McEntire ," when he visits the show's set.
"One girl had just sang a Reba McEntire song. Reba wasn't a part of it; she wasn't being judged or anything. They were pre-taping. I was walking behind Reba, she walked by, and she saw that girl that had just sung one of her songs. So, she just reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. She goes, 'Great job.' Well, the girl didn't know it was Reba. The girl just went, 'Thank you — oh, my God!'" Linn said, acting out the contestant's double-take.
"She literally got on one knee and put her head down ... and the other people are going, 'Are you OK?' She goes, 'It was Reba McEntire!' For me, it was a great. It was a great moment."
What's the part of coaching on 'The Voice' that makes Reba feel like a 'jerk?'
Of course, dealing with rejection is part of show business — and Reba said she doesn't like dishing it out on "The Voice."
"The hardest part — and the one I don't like — is when I have to sit there with my back to the talent singing, and I don't turn around — and none of us turn around. That hurts. They're good. They're great. But it's just not what we want on our team. That's the hard part," she said.
When she is watching blind audition episodes of "The Voice," the country music superstar said it's not just witnessing the contestants cope with rejection that's tough. It's hard to see their families take it, too.
"I don't see it when I'm facing the wall. But when you watch the TV show back, you see Carson (Daly, the show's host) up there with the parents. They're going, 'Oh, Reba, turn around. Reba, turn around.' I'm like, 'Oh my God, why didn't I turn around?' I feel like a jerk," she said.
How do you watch and vote on 'The Voice' Season 25 live shows?
"The Voice" Season 25 live shows begin May 6, with the top artists competing against each other weekly during a live broadcast.
"The Voice" airs at 7 p.m. Mondays and 8 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC. Episodes stream the next day on Peacock on-demand. The streaming service offers full episodes from the show's previous 24 seasons, too.
Fans can vote after the May 6, May 13 and May 20 episodes. The voting window is 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. after those episodes.
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