James Taylor, the 5-time Grammy Award winner, will join Season 18 of "The Voice." He had been designated as the Mega Mentor, as confirmed by Billboard.  

James Taylor is the Mega Mentor for Season 18 of “The Voice”
(Photo : Facebook/@JamesTaylor)
James Taylor is the Mega Mentor for Season 18 of “The Voice”

The singer-songwriter will help out all four coaches and each contestant that will remain from the Battle Rounds. He will also prepare each team for the Knockout Rounds. Taylor will take on his new role on the NBC talent competition show at 8 p.m. ET. to be aired on April 13.

Taylor will be joining the current line up of "Voice" mentors - Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Nick Jonas, and Blake Shelton.

On the Knockout Rounds, the contestants will be pitted against a teammate. Each contender will be performing individually with a song of their choice, while the other will be watching and waiting for his/her turn. The coaches will select the winner from their team to advance to the next round.

In a new twist to the format, all four contenders saved by their coaches will be prepared and rehearsed with their head coaches and the Mega Mentor. This will be the first-ever Four-Way Knockout during the Battle Rounds. America will cast their votes to choose one winner from each team. At the beginning of the first live show, the winners per team will be revealed. 

The four coaches did a one-minute announcement video, where they were seen whispering Taylor's name to each other. Legend revealed that it was James Taylor after Shelton wrongly heard it as Elizabeth Taylor.

The music icon, Taylor, 72 has been in the music industry for more than 50 years. He has released 19 studio albums, 4 live albums, and 7 compilation albums. His most recent album, "American Standards" was released on February 28, 2020, which contains 14 tracks.

21 of his songs landed on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, 5 of which entered the Top 10. His legendary song, "You've Got a Friend," landed on No. 1 in 1971 and remained for 14 weeks.  

James Taylor was due to start with the U.S. tour with Jackson Browne. It was announced on April 3 on his official website and social media channels, that the shows have been postponed. The opening has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A joint statement was released by both Taylor and Browne, saying that public health is all our responsibility. Tour dates of 27 towns and cities have yet to be rescheduled, but both assured that purchased tickets will be honored.  

Part of their run that will be delayed was a sold-out June 19 concert Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Bethel Woods is located on the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.

Taylor's show on June 21 with Brandi Carlile and Shawn Colvin at Fernway Park will also be rescheduled. There is no word yet about Taylor's Tanglewood concert on July 4, 2020.  

Jackson Browne has contracted the coronavirus in March. He warned the young generation to take the illness seriously, as anyone can get infected with it. Browne stayed in his LA home for his recovery, without the need for medicines nor hospitalization.

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