Photo: Courtesy of Interscope.Only weeks after NBC confirmed that Pharrell Williams will join The Voice as a coach next season, rumors are swirling that another pioneering pop veteran will also be entering the arena: the divine Ms. Gwen Stefani.
TMZ claims that Stefani will officially replace Christina Aguilera for season seven, while The Hollywood Reporter reports that she is only in talks with the network. This isn't the first time the No Doubt singer was rumored to join a famous judging panel; in 2012, she was supposedly going to join X Factor to replace Steve Jones, but it never panned out. Stefani has also stated in the past that she wouldn't be inclined to participate as a judge or mentor as she doesn't like confrontation or giving advice.
Whether she's had a change of heart or not, we'll just have to wait and see — the seventh season of The Voice starts taping in June. Interestingly, a minor moment of pop kismet occurred last weekend when Stefani surprised festival-goers at Coachella, joining Pharrell onstage for their collaborative iconic hit "Hollaback Girl." He even mysteriously announced her "arrival back to the music industry," launching speculation that maybe she was planning another solo album. Now it seems their potential future partnership on The Voice would provide context to his statement — though what better place for Gwen to also recapture the spotlight for a comeback of her own? (Entertainment Weekly)