The Voice Australia is back in a big way, with the 2026 season already introducing some amazing singers to the reality show‘s fans.
And the new season has brought one big twist: coaches Ronan Keating, Melanie C, Kate Miller-Heidke and Richard Marx have been joined by a secret mentor, Tones and I, who will be able to give hopeful singers a second chance.
But with the good comes the bad, as this season has experienced mounting criticism against The Voice Australia and its crew of celebrity coaches. Some viewers have questioned a rule change that means failed auditioners don’t receive constructive feedback, as others claim the coaches care more about advancing their own careers than fostering others. “Sad to think this show has become more about the judges than the artists,” one fan claimed on social media.
Irish singing superstar, Ronan Keating, has spoken about what it’s like to be a coach on The Voice Australia — and he’s taking his haters to task. “We’ve been doing it for a long time, all of us. We’re not coming here to take it lying down; we’re going for it properly,” he told WHO earlier this year.
“I enjoy the whole journey and watching artists grow and being part of the team.”
Ronan said he feels “ten feet tall when the artists choose you in front of the other coaches”, as he praised his fellow coaches. “To be part of a show like this with the coaches that I have massive admiration for and there are great friendships there, it’s very special.”
Ronan rejoined The Voice Australia in 2025 after a few years away, with the ‘Life Is a Rollercoaster’ singer first debuting on the reality singing show back in 2016.
The big changes being brought in for The Voice Australia 2026
The Voice Australia has introduced one of its biggest format shake-ups for 2026, with a new secret coach twist and a controversial change to the Blind Auditions.
Tones And I joined returning coaches Kate Miller-Heidke, Richard Marx, Melanie C and Ronan Keating, but she isn’t sitting alongside them during the auditions. Instead, the Australian hitmaker secretly watches from backstage and can save selected contestants who fail to turn any of the four coaches’ chairs.
Those singers can join Team Tones, receive one-on-one mentoring and then return for another Blind Audition, giving them a second chance to make it into the competition. Tones described her role as a “fairy godmother” who can rescue promising Australian artists who are overlooked.
The ‘Dance Monkey’ singer’s covert new role has been embraced as a ‘breath of fresh air’ by viewers.
However, another format change has proved far less popular. Contestants who receive no chair turns now leave the stage without meeting the four coaches or receiving any feedback. In previous seasons, unsuccessful singers would still hear constructive criticism and career advice before departing.
Some viewers have criticised the change as unnecessarily harsh, arguing contestants deserve acknowledgement after putting themselves out there on national television.
“I don’t like that the contestants do not get any feedback and have to just walk off the stage,” wrote one viewer in the show’s Facebook group. “It’s like a slap in the face. It is traumatic to watch. I feel sad for them.”
The Voice Australia can be streamed on 7Plus.
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