'The Voice' Is Back: Here's Everything You Need To Know From Judges To Controversies

The return

This year, The Voice Australia finds a new home on the Seven Network, switching from Channel Nine (where Chris Sebastian was the last winner, taking out the title in July 2020) with a revamped coaching panel, and the promise of a brand-new format.

This year, blind auditions will take place across the space of three weeks - but it will be a quick dash to the Grand Final, and this year the "block" strategy returns, which allows Coaches to prevent another from choosing an artist. But the 2021 version of a "block" comes with a game-changing twist: this year, there's no limit on how many places are on each time.

With unlimited numbers up for grabs on a coach's team, it may seem too good to be true; and that it may be, as the coaches will then be required to brutally cut down to five artists each. And host Sonia Kruger is definitely welcoming of the change:

‘It’s all killer, no filler, as we like to say. It’s important that shows like The Voice evolve," Kruger said to TV Tonight. "Much like the way that Big Brother has, because our viewing habits have changed. We want to get to the crux of it a little bit faster. It still breathes where it needs to but we’d seen enough of the battles and now we get through to those Finals faster.”

With the brand new season of The Voice very fortunately filming in Sydney earlier this year before the COVID-19 outbreak and extensive lockdowns took hold, 2021 will have a significant difference to 2020; namely, a studio audience to add the much-needed atmosphere of a crowd for the contestant's live performances.

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Also marking a sturdy difference to 2020 is the celebrity coaches who will sit perched in the spinning red chairs come blind audition time, with Guy Sebastian returning, alongside Keith Urban, who has previously coached on the debut season in 2012, Australian Idol runner up and beloved songstress Jessica Mauboy and UK popstar Rita Ora.

The coaches

Last year the star-studded line-up for The Voice Australia saw the return for the first time in the production's history of all four coaches, with Delta Goodrem clocking in an eighth season, Kelly Rowland and Boy George hitting their fourth season, and Guy Sebastian returning for his second.

Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, last year's season of The Voice Australia was one entirely out of the ordinary, with both Rowland and Boy George inevitably requiring to mentor their acts remotely from overseas due to international travel restrictions.

This year, for the tenth Aussie season of The Voice Australia, host Sonia Kruger is back, accompanied by a brand new judging panel line-up, with Sebastian returning for his third season, Keith Urban returning, following his stint on the program back in its inaugural season in 2012, and some new judging panel faces courtesy of Jessica Mauboy and Rita Ora.

Guy Sebastian

Where you know him from...
Sebastian has rarely left the public eye since winning the first-ever Australian Idol back in November 2003 and debuting at #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart with his track Angels Brought Me Here.

In 2010 the multi-ARIA Award winner joined the cast of The X Factor Australia and would continue on the show throughout its second, third and fourth season, returning for the seventh and eighth in 2016 alongside Adam Lambert, Iggy Azalea and Mel B. Sebastian is this season's most experienced The Voice Australia coach, having been on the panel since 2019.

Jessica Mauboy

Where you know her from...
National treasure Jessica Mauboy joins The Voice Australia for the first time this year. While Mauboy came to fame on season four of Australia Idol - where she was the runner-up to Damien Leith - she is among the show's best success stories.

With two ARIA Awards under her belt, Mauboy has had a string of hits including the hugely successful Burn and has also claimed a stack of acting awards and nominations for her roles in Bran Nue Dae, The Sapphires and The Secret Daughter. Her most recently album, Hilda, debuted at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and she inked a brand new deal with Warner Music Australia late last year.

Keith Urban

Where you know him from...
More like where don't you know him from? Keith Urban has been an Australian mainstay since we stole him from New Zealand and then signed him to EMI in the early 1990s. He's had four Australian #1 albums, is known around the globe and continues to produce hits like the incredibly catchy The Fighter feat. Carrie Underwood and more recently One Too Many with P!nk.

Urban is no stranger to The Voice Australia set either, having been a coach back in the original Australian season alongside Seal, Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem. He's been an American Idol for a few seasons since and is now heading on back to where his coaching duties started for the latest The Voice Australia run.

Rita Ora

Where you know her from...
The only international artist on the judging panel this year, few Australians will forget when Rita Ora first touched down in Australia to commence quarantining before The Voice filming commenced.

Ora's had a stack of hits across her career - including a few #1 singles in the UK and a bunch of Top 40 hits here in Aus - and she's also appeared in a number of films (Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Fifty Shades Darker and more) and has been a host and judge on a number of reality programs including The X Factor, The Voice UK and America's Next Top Model.

The controversies

While The Voice Australia has become staple family viewing for many since its inaugural season in 2012, it hasn't been all been smooth sailing over its nearly decade long run. Below is a little refresher about some of the moments off the stage that caught equal attention from the fans and viewers at home.

The winners

With two singing reality TV Aussie success stories sitting on the judging panel in 2021, where have some of the previous contestants from The Voice Australia ended up since they claimed their Voice crown? Below is a bit of a round-up to jog your memory before the brand new season kick off this Sunday.

Season One (2012) - Karise Eden

Who: Karise Eden was on Team Seal for the very first season of The Voice in 2012
The Voice Highlights: Eden brought the house down multiple times, including her performances of Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and Stay With Me by Lorraine Ellison.
Post-The Voice Highlights: After Eden was crowned the first ever winner of Australia's The Voice in 2012, that same year she signed with Universal Music and released her debut single You Won't Let Me, which was also one of the four songs she recorded that entered the ARIA Singles Chart top five in one week. Notably, this saw her become the first artist to achieve this feat since The Beatles took out the top six positions of the charts in 1964. Eden's debut full-length My Journey comprised of newly recorded covers, as well as songs she'd performed on The Voice, and debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. Since then, Eden has gone onto release two follow up studio album.

Season Two (2013) - Harrison Craig

Who: Team Seal triumphed again in the second season of The Voice, with Harrison Craig taking out the title
The Voice Highlights: Craig charmed viewers throughout the series with his renditions of Home by Michael Bublé, Can't Help Falling In Love by Elvis Prelsey and The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody.
Post-The Voice Highlights: Craig has had three songs pop up on the ARIA Singles Chart Top 10, with his cover of Unchained Melody snagging a #2 spot. Craig has spoken previously about his battles with a stutter, and he has since worked as an ambassador for the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. In June this year, Craig released the song Even If You Say So, with an accompanying music video designed to reflect the tumultuous events of 2020 and the importance of 'living in a united way'.

Season Three (2014) - Anja Nissen

Who: Appearing on coach will.i.am's team, Anja Nissen was named the winner of season three
The Voice Highlights: Nissen busted out some incredible moments throughout the season, including performances of Lauren Hill's His Eye Is On The Sparrow, Irreplaceable by Beyonce and Wild by Jessie J.
Post-The Voice Highlights: Following her win, Nissen signed with Universal and also collaborated with her Voice coach will.i.am and producer Cody Wise for the track I'm So Excited. Raised by Danish-born parents, Nissen was selected to represent Denmark for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016, finishing in the final 20 for her performance of Where Am I. Nissen also released her first new music in three years, with the new singles If We Only Had Tonight and Can't Do This released last year.

Season Four (2015) - Ellie Drennan

Who: Joining Team Jessie J in season four, Ellie Drennan became the youngest winner of The Voice Australia, joining Jessie J's team and ultimately taking out the title when she was just a teenager.
The Voice Highlights: Drennan delivered some unforgettable moments throughout season four, with covers ranging from Elastic Heart by Sia, I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry and California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas.
Post-The Voice Highlights: Following her win, Drennan's winner's single Ghost clocked in at #25 on the charts via Universal Music Australia, before re-emerging in 2019 with her first independent release Taxi. Drennan has taken some time away from music to develop and find her voice as an artist, and her newer stylings sit far closer to influences like Matt Corby with a rocky twist as opposed to her more commercial earlier tunes.

Season Five (2016) - Alfie Arcuri

Who: Celebrity coach Delta Goodrem scored her first win via Alfie Arcuri in 2016, with Arcuri named the season five champ after also scoring the honour of being the first to audition that year.
The Voice Highlights: Aside from being the first person to audition in the 2016 series, Arcuri was constantly praised for his performances, including covers of Drag Me Down by One Direction, Lay Me Down by Sam Smith and All of Me by John Legend.
Post-The Voice Highlights: Following his win, Arcuri signed with Universal Music Australia, with his debut studio album Zenith releasing in mid-2016, peaking at #5 on the ARIA charts. In 2017, Arcuri released the song Love Is Love in support of the "Yes" vote for the Australia Marriage Law Postal Survey, and in 2019 he auditioned to represent Australia for Eurovision 2019, ultimately placing fifth behind eventual winner Kate Miller-Heidke. Earlier this year, Arcuri released a new music video for his emotional ballad Handsome Man.

Season Six (2017) - Judah Kelly

Who: The country voice with soul, Judah Kelly took himself as well as coach Delta Goodrem to victory in 2017. Kelly had previously unsuccessfully auditioned for The X Factor twice.
The Voice Highlights: The country-soaked stylings of Kelly were extremely well received in the 2017 series, with his performances including Adele's When We Were Young, Purple Rain by Price and Chains by Tina Arena.
Post-The Voice Highlights: After scoring the prize money and the record deal in 2017, Kelly's winner's single Count On Me was released immediately, with Kelly detailing the dark times that inspired the track upon its release. The track debuted at #19 on the ARIA Singles Chart, with a second album Real Good Time releasing in 2018.

Season Seven (2018) - Sam Perry

Who: 2018 gave coach Kelly Rowland her first win, with singer and looping artist Sam Perry scoring the win in the seventh season.
The Voice Highlights: Perry's appearance on The Voice caused some controversy at the time, with many including judge Boy George calling him a DJ, and querying whether Perry's technology-based performances aligned with a singing competition's format. But Perry persevered, and won hearts via his performances of Sympathy For The Devil by The Rolling Stones, Praise You/Stronger, a mash-up of Fatboy Slim and Kanye West, and When Doves Cry by Prince.
Post-The Voice Highlights: Perry immediately signed with Universal Records after taking out the 2018 crown, with his winning single Trust Myself reaching #78 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and the announcement of a national tour at the end of 2018, fittingly titled "Not A DJ". Perry continues to tour, pandemic restrictions notwithstanding.

Season Eight (2019) - Diana Rouvas

Who: In 2019, it was Boy George's one and only turn at claiming a coaching victory, with Diana Rouvas scoring the win after first auditioning way back in season one and making it through to the final top eight.
The Voice Highlights: Rouvas delighted the coaches and viewers at home with her powerful vocal stylings, with her performances including covers of I'll Never Love Again by Lady Gaga, I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand's Send In The Clowns alongside coach Boy George.
Post-The Voice Highlights: After immediately releasing her winner's single Wait For No One, Rouvas returned in early 2020 releasing a new single Can We Make Heaven, which was also her featured song when she competed to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020. Ultimately, Rouvas placed seventh in the competition, with winning entrant Montaigne set to fly the Aussie flag in the Netherlands - but, sadly, COVID-19 had other plans. Rouvas had been playing some shows at the Adelaide Fringe Festival back in March last year but... well, you know the rest.

Season Nine (2020) - Chris Sebastian

Who: Last year's winner of The Voice was particularly memorable, but not just for his vocal prowess; not only did eventual 2020 winner Chris Sebastian first appear on the inaugural season of The Voice back in 2012, progressing to the Top 16 on Team Seal, but Sebastian is, of course, the brother of The Voice coach Guy Sebastian. His 2020 win saw him take Team Kelly to victory for a second (and final) time.
The Voice Highlights: Sebastian spun all four judges chairs in his blind audition, so it was little surprise he continued to scoop up love from viewers and judges alike in his season, with renditions of Titanium by David Guetta and Sia, 24K Magic by Bruno Mars and Numb by Linkin Park lining his pathway to the ultimate win.
Post-The Voice Highlights: While some viewers were initially upset at Sebastian's involvement with The Voice, given his brother Guy was also one of the show's judges, Sebastian's 2019 single I Found You debuted at number 8 on the Australian Independent charts.