The Voice returns with a bold new era on Seven and 7plus — The Voice returns at 7.00pm Sunday, 2 August on Seven and 7plus with a major shake-up to the format and a new-look coaching lineup.
This season, Tones And I joins the competition as a fifth Coach. She appears alongside Melanie C, Richard Marx, Ronan Keating and returning champion Coach Kate Miller-Heidke.
For Seven, the new season gives one of its biggest entertainment brands a fresh point of difference. The fifth Coach twist also gives the returning format a clear reason for viewers to come back for the Blind Auditions.
A World-First Twist
The 2026 season is being billed as the biggest shake-up in the show’s history. According to the media kit, Tones And I’s role as a fifth Coach will transform the competition.
The Blind Auditions remain the first major stage. Artists perform for the Coaches and try to turn the famous red chairs.
When more than one Coach turns, the pitch begins. Each Coach receives two blocks during the Blinds, giving them the power to stop a rival from securing an artist.
After the Blinds, the competition moves to the Knockouts. Each Coach must cut their team to three artists. However, each Coach also has one save, which can bring a cut artist into their own team.
The Quarter-Finals then reduce each team from four artists to two. From there, the Semi-Final leaves four artists for the Grand Finale, where Australia votes for the winner.
The Coaches
Tones And I brings one of Australia’s biggest global music stories to the red chair. Since breaking through with Dance Monkey, she has built a career across touring, songwriting, production and visual direction.
In the media kit, Tones And I describes her coaching style as honest, passionate and “probably a little bit chaotic”. She says she wants artists to sound like the best version of themselves.
Melanie C returns after her first Australian season in the red chair. The Spice Girls star says last season gave her more confidence as a Coach, while Tones And I’s arrival was a major surprise for the panel.
Richard Marx is also back. The GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter says he found his rhythm on the show after an intense first year and now feels immediately comfortable in the format.
Ronan Keating returns with deep experience across the global Voice franchise. This season, he says he would love to find a group and country artists for his team.
Kate Miller-Heidke is fresh from her 2025 victory. She says the show has become more fun and more surprising, and she is looking for artists who can reinvent songs and make bold choices.
Sonia Kruger Returns
Sonia Kruger returns as host to guide and support the performers. In the media kit, Kruger says the new season has taken the energy on set up another level.
She says the new twist keeps the Coaches, the artists and the production on their toes. She also says the best Blind Auditions still have the power to change the atmosphere in the room within a few notes.
Prize And Production
The winner of The Voice will receive $100,000. They will also receive an all-inclusive recording development package.
The package includes production, recording, mixing, mastering and access to leading Australian A&R and label services.
The Voice is an ITV Studios Australia production for the Seven Network.
Artists To Watch
The media kit highlights a broad mix of artists this season, from teenage performers and musical theatre hopefuls to buskers, vocal loopers, country singers, opera voices and family groups.
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Early names include Bertie Anderson from Western Australia, Brooklyn Sauer from Queensland, Carla Venkataya from Victoria, Charlotte June from South Australia and Charlotte Macphail from New South Wales.
Other artists highlighted across the kit include Cherry Green, Cleo Paladino, Cris J, Daisha Auda, Findlay Webb, Jerikye Williams, Jess Kelly, Lachlann Lawton, Leyla Sabo, Liam O’Neill, Litia Keni, Megan Donnelly, Mikayla Durrant, The 60Four, Victoria Knight, Wave Raiders and Yung Milla.
The Voice starts at 7.00pm Sunday, 2 August on Seven and 7plus.
For more Channel 7 stories, visit TV Central’s Channel 7 section. The Voice is available through 7plus.
