'The Voice': How Were Niall Horan & Chance the Rapper as Coaches?

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Voice, Season 23, Episode 1, “The Blind Auditions Season Premiere.”]

The Voice officially returned for its 23rd season on Monday, March 6, and with it came the arrival of two new coaches, former One Direction member Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.

Joining longtime vet Blake Shelton and returning coach Kelly Clarkson, the new additions certainly made a splash with their unique approaches to the competition. They quickly got the rundown from Blake, who greeted them at the studio in the premiere’s opening moments and showed them around, joking that it was his home.

(Credit: Art Streiber/NBC)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a new season of The Voice if Blake didn’t give the newbies a hard time, and when it came time to hear the Blind Auditions, he utilized his temporary future with the series as a means of swaying singers to his team. This forced Niall and Chance to come out strong for potential singers they wanted to recruit for their own teams.

While Blake may have given them a tough time, Niall became a direct competitor, pulling out all the stops to convince singers to choose him as their coach rather than the resident country star. And although he managed to start building his team, Chance kept things a little more mellow in the process, connecting with talent during the Blind Auditions with a little less desperation than his fellow recruit.

Although it may only be the first episode, the tone for where the season will go has been set by the addition of Niall and Chance. So, what did you think of their debut as coaches? Let us know by casting a vote in the poll below, and don’t miss The Voice as Season 23 continues on NBC.

The Voice, Season 23, Mondays, 8/7c & Tuesdays, 9/8c, NBC