WATCH: Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire & Gwen Stefani Team Up To Deliver A Classic Rock Cover On ‘The Voice’ Premiere

The performance marked the official kick-off of Season 24 of The Voice.

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Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

September 25, 2023

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Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, John Legend; Photo Courtesy of The Voice

Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani teamed up for an epic performance of the Eagles’ “Take It Easy” during The Voice on Monday evening (Sept. 25).

Surrounded by a live audience, the Season 24 coaches joined forces to deliver a stunning performance of the classic rock hit. 

The performance kicks off with Horan and Legend tackling the first verse of the song before Stefani and McEntire join the pair for the chorus.

“Take It easy, take it easy/ Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy/ Lighten up while you still can/ Don’t even try to understand/ Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy,” Horan, Legend, McEntire and Stefani sang in perfect harmony of the tune’s chorus.

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Written by Jackson Browne and Eagles band member Glenn Frey, “Take It Easy” was released in May 1972 and serves as the Eagles’ debut single. 

The tune, which also is the opening track of the band’s eponymous debut album, peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has become one of their signature songs. “Take It Easy” is also listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Kick Off To Season 24

The performance marked the official kick-off of Season 24 of The Voice, ushering in the new star-studded panel of coaches, which includes Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani. 

Carson Daly, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, John Legend; Photo Courtesy The Voice, NBC
Carson Daly, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, John Legend; Photo Courtesy The Voice, NBC

Niall Horan returns for his second consecutive season, alongside Gwen Stefani and John Legend, both of whom have made their comebacks to The Voice following a brief hiatus. 

Meanwhile, Reba McEntire is making her debut as a coach on The Voice, replacing Blake Shelton, who announced his decision to step down from the singing competition earlier this year. Shelton appeared on The Voice for a total of 23 Seasons and holds the title of the longest and winningest coach in the history of the show with nine wins.

Channeling Blake Shelton

On Tuesday (Sept. 19), The Voice released a promo clip that offered fans a sneak peek at McEntire’s winning strategy as well as showed a snippet of this season’s contestants. 

“What I plan on doing is… I’m channeling Blake [Shelton]. I’m gonna win this sucker,” McEntire joked. “I am thrilled to be sitting in Blake’s chair, I hope I do it justice.” 

She also shared that she has been “blown away” by this season’s contestants. “I’m definitely glad to be a coach,” the 68-year-old country music icon continued. “I’ve been in this business going on 50 years, and so hopefully I’ll be able to give some of the pointers that people were sweet enough to give me and also the things that I’ve learned on my own the hard way.”

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When it comes to being a coach on The Voice, McEntire admitted that there is one thing that she will be looking for and that is “songs that touch my heart.”

“I want people on my team that I want to work with because they touched my heart and soul,” McEntire added.

She also has her own winning approach and promises it’s unlike anything the show has ever seen before. 

“I am going to have my game plan ready to go, and we’ve all been talking about it, so it’s going to be something brand new The Voice has never seen it before,” McEntire said during an interview with Access Hollywood. “I don’t have competition. You know, we’re smoking. We’re going to be really rocking it.”

“[Blake’s got] big boots. I don’t know what size those boots are, but they’re big, so I’m gonna really work hard to make him proud,” she also previously told PEOPLE

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No Stranger To The Show

Reba McEntire may be joining as the newest coach, but she is certainly no stranger to the show. She was originally supposed to be cast in the inaugural season of the Emmy Award-winning musical competition series, but ended up turning down the opportunity before it first debuted in 2011. 

The “Does He Love You” singer later joined the show briefly as Shelton’s battle round advisor and most recently appeared on the latest season of the show as a Mega Mentor

“When I was doing the mega mentor, it was so much fun. I was totally interested in the kids when they would come in and sing. So talented. That is just a refreshing thing to be around talented people,” the country icon told Access Hollywood. “I love it. And if I can help anybody with anything I’ve learned over the last 48 years, then I think that’s my duty to do that, and I’m going to enjoy doing it.”

Season 24 of The Voice premieres Monday, September 25 at 8/7c on NBC.

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.