The Buckingham

Photo Credit: www.blog.zap2it.com

Usher and Shakira will be joining the NBC reality hit The Voice next season.

The R&B singer and Latin singer will be replacing CeeLo Green and Christina Aguilera for the upcoming spring edition of the series.  Green and Aguilera are expected to return for the 2013 Fall season.

The additions of Usher and Shakira are part of a plan NBC has for the show.  The producers plan to develop an ongoing group of talented judges that can be mixed and matched when necessary.

Since the coaches are all extremely successful in the music industry, and are in high demand to tour, it will be difficult to have all of them stay on the show for both spring and fall seasons.

Aguilera is leaving the show for the spring season to go on tour, since her new album will be released in November. Green is working on a scripted comedy series for NBC, as well as developing new music.  Current coaches Blake Shelton and Adam Levine will continue on The Voice for the spring.

The Voice just recently returned for its third season, and while ratings were down from previous seasons, it still managed to beat the ratings for Fox’s second season premiere of The X Factor.