‘The Voice’ Season 30 Introduces New Twists: What to Know About the First In Button, TikTok Artist of the Season, and More

Fifteen years after the first season of The Voice aired on NBC in 2011, the popular singing competition show hit a major debut in late September 2026 with the arrival of its 30th season. Fans can expect the same talent, shenanigans, and friendly artistic rivalries that they’ve enjoyed in seasons past. But Season 30 comes with some changes, too, some of which might be easier to get used to than others.

Two of the most notable changes come from the artist selection process. Traditionally, artists will audition for the panel of judges who are turned around so they can’t see the singer. As the singer performs their Blind Audition, judges decide whether to turn their chair around and invite the vocalist to join their team. If only one judge turns around, that singer is automatically on that judge’s team. If multiple judges turn, the artist selects whose team they want to join. Judges also have historically had the option to block a fellow judge from recruiting a singer that they want on their team.

This season, however, blocks are no more. “We have no blocks this season,” returning judge Adam Levine explained to fellow returning judge Kelly Clarkson and the two new faces on the panel, Queen Latifah and Riley Green. “I’m happy because blocks have really hurt my feelings in the past.”

New Changes Fans Can Expect To See On ‘The Voice’ Season 30

Although there won’t be an option for The Voice judges to block their fellow panelists in Season 30, they still have a trick they can utilize to snag the singer they want on their dream team. The latest season of The Voice will utilize something called the First In Button, which grants the first judge who turns around the privilege of securing a vocalist on their team, even if other judges turned their chairs after they did. “I can’t wait to utilize that,” Kelly Clarkson said. “And I hope it’s a four-chair turn.”

Another new feature of The Voice Season 30 is the inclusion of a TikTok Artist of the Season award. Host Carson Daly explained that this new feature puts the “power back [in the viewers’] hands” by letting fans show their support for The Voice contestants on TikTok. The Voice will post performances of contestants’ songs on its official TikTok page and invites fans to like and share their favorites. The show will keep track of each artist’s likes and shares throughout the season, and the singer with the most social media traction will become the TikTok Artist of the Season.

Fans can follow along with the changes—and find their favorite artists to show love to on TikTok—by watching The Voice on NBC starting Monday, September 21, 2026. The 30th season kicks off with a special three-night premiere through Wednesday evening, followed by regular episodes on Mondays at 8 pm EST.

Photo by Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images