'The Voice' Season 8: Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Officially Join As Coaches

The Voice took an unprecedented step in bringing back Pharrell for season eight.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the two judges opposite of Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are rotated out every other year, but the "Happy" singer will make his second straight appearance on the show.

Rounding out the cast is Christina Aguilera, who took season seven off to give birth to her second child. She's a Voice veteran, though, with appearances in four different seasons under her belt.

"We are excited to welcome Christina back to her red chair and can't wait to see how she mixes things up among Adam, Blake and Pharrell, in what will be an incredibly competitive competition," said Paul Telegdy, president, alternative and late night programming, NBC Entertainment, in a statement. "These four talented artists are at the top of their game as musicians and as coaches. The mentoring is sure to be intense and the stakes will be high."

The official announcement was made by Carson Daly earlier this morning (Oct. 14).

Rock veteran Gene Simmons recently threw shade at The Voice and other singing shows while simultaneously pumping up his own new reality contest, Coliseum.

"You can't sugarcoat s---, pardon me," he said. "You can mentor anyone you like, but it's a waste of time if they don't have the goods intrinsically.

"Your qualification for being on this show is you can sing in the shower? Is that it, without paying any dues or writing songs or any stagecraft?"

What do you think of the new coaches for next cycle? Do you agree with Simmons views of singing competitions? Let us know in the comments section!

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The Voice