‘The Voice’ Season 4 Will Have Two New Coaches

Season 3 of "The Voice" has just begun, but the plans are already in the works for Season 4. After months of speculation whether Blake Shelton would return as a celebrity coach, People magazine confirms that country superstar will be back next season, but two of his fellow judges will be taking time away from the show.

Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera will take a hiatus next season, and will be replaced by Usher and Shakira. The R&B/pop sensation and Latin pop icon will join veteran "Voice" coaches Blake and Adam Levine for the fourth season.

"By pursuing my first passion of music during the break, I am also able to come back and offer even more to my team on 'The Voice' in the future," Christina explains.

"We are thrilled to welcome Usher and Shakira to 'The Voice,'" chairman of NBC Entertainment, Robert Greenblatt, says. "Doing two back-to-back cycles of this show requires a tremendous amount of time and we are happy to accommodate the commitments made by Christina and Cee Lo."

It was Blake who first voiced his concern about doing multiple seasons of the hit TV talent show so close together. "At some point, something's got to give," the "Over" singer lamented earlier this summer. "I've been very vocal with the network and Mark Burnett's production company that I don't like it. They need to think about what the [taping schedule] means to all of us."

While the upcoming four-time CMA Award nominee (including a nod for Entertainer of the Year) has promised to return to kick off "The Voice"in 2013, he admits it takes his focus away from his soaring country music career.

"I love doing it," Blake insists, "and I hope to continue doing it forever. But they have to work with me so I can also tour. I just think taping two seasons a year is too much. The four of us cannot remain viable artists if we're taping back-to-back seasons of the show."

"The Voice" airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.

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