Just a short time after she confirmed to the world that she would not be coming back for the forthcoming 13th season of NBC’s hit singing competition, The Voice, the two-season coach explained exactly why she was making a departure from her position.
In the short time that America has been able to see music superstar Alicia Keys take on a new role as one of the four coaches on The Voice, nearly everyone has come to appreciate her sound advice and stunning personality, but all of that will be coming to an end very soon.
As the current, 12th season of The Voice enters its final stages of performances, Keys will be preparing to make her departure from the show with no announced plans of returning.
On Monday night (May 1st), Keys spoke at length with Entertainment Tonight about the reason for her sudden departure and what that means for her professional life.
“I’m ready for the next one already, which was kind of the plan the whole time,” she said, speaking about her 2016 album, Here, and plans for a new release. “I wanted to put out Here where they have a statement body of work, and my next body of work is already in the works. I’m excited!”
Noting that the project does take a lot of time, Keys revealed that she was approximately halfway through the process and expressed her sincere excitement for fans to hear what she’s been feverishly working on.
“I can’t wait for you to hear new music, and so that’s one of the reasons why I won’t be able to come back next season,” Keys said. “But I love writing. It’s just the most beautiful, exciting things, and every time I get better. That’s the blessing and magic of writing.”
To those several statements, fellow coach Blake Shelton nearly scoffed, saying that he expected it was all a ruse and she would be found on the set again once they began filming the new season.
We are sad to see Alicia Keys step away from her post as coach on The Voice, but happy for her to continue following her dreams and creating new music. Hopefully she will return at another point in the future when she’s able to.
Watch the video interview below with Keys and Shelton. (Start at 2:45)