This Grammy winner turned down 'The Voice' 15 times before making a historic coaching debut
'The Voice' season 26 announced Michael Bublé as a coach, and the Canadian musician and singer became the first ever mentor to win the season on his debut. With season 27 underway, he continues to discover new talents; however, did you know that Bublé initially refused to be part of the popular NBC show? The Grammy winner confessed to battling impostor syndrome before accepting the iconic red chair. Bublé admitted that he disliked the idea of "judging" other artists; he revealed that he rejected the coach seat for “15-16 years” before accepting the offer.
“My favorite part about it is, thank god we’re not judges,” the 'Sway' hitmaker told Today's Craig Melvin in an exclusive. “The other shows have judges. We are coaches. And the reason I say that is because most of the singers are better than me, and I have no place ever judging anyone.” He added, “To get to coach them and live the fantasy of having this career that I’ve had, and then get to have the fulfillment of helping someone else get that? That’s the cool part." Bublé, however, did appear as an advisor for team Blake Shelton in season three before fully donning the role of a coach.
In an exclusive with Entertainment Weekly, the 'Spicy Margarita' singer confessed that being a coach was a tough job since it involved shaping a talented individual's journey. “We talk about it off-camera. We know that each of these people, this is their life, their destiny, their dream. And we know that we're a big part of this journey. And while it isn't the beginning or end of their journey, we know that we're a part of it and we take that responsibility really seriously,” he said. Bublé admitted that he wished to become a positive role model for 'The Voice' contestants.
The results of his efforts with the team paid off, and Sofronio Vasquez became the first Filipino winner to take home the trophy, making Bublé proud. "I mean I would like to apologize, um, to the cast of the Season 27 Adam Lavine, Kelsey Ballerini and John Legend because I am going to be a pain in your butt," he jestfully warned his future coach mates while doing the exclusive with Access Hollywood after the historic win. Bublé considered McEntire his rival throughout season 26 when it came to mentoring, calling her technique the 'double-edged sword.' He revealed that the country music queen had the knack for spotting hidden talents.
“Reba McEntire has shocked us,” Bublé said. “There were two people she had on her team who were one-chair turns for her. We didn't see it and we couldn't believe it. None of us. Snoop, myself, and Gwen looked at each other and went, ‘How did we not turn to these people?’ So there's something in Reba's experience that allows her to hear and see things that we just didn’t.” Presently, the top five contestants from his team battled it out in the live Playoff rounds with Legend's team after receiving mega mentoring from Sheryl Crow, as per Parade. It is up to Bublé on who he will choose among Barry Jean Fontenot, Kaiya Hamilton, Angie Rey, Jadyn Cree, and Adam David to make him a winner the second time around.