Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Ariana Grande is among the guest stars slated to perform on The Voice tonight. (NBC Photo)

Bruno Mars will be on hand to sing his new single, “24K Magic.”

Sting will perform “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” the first single from his latest album.

The Weeknd, about to launch his first world tour, will perform “Starboy.”

Oh, and the latest — Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande will be on hand to pimp the film “Sing,” as if it didn’t get enough pimping on last night’s performance finale.

We’ll also get duets, which pair an accomplished star with each finalist.

In tonight’s case, Sundance Head will perform with Kiss, Billy Gilman will sing with Kelly Clarkson, John Legend will accompany Wé McDonald, and Cam will sing with Josh Gallagher.

Now, I’ve always liked the idea of those duets. It seems like a nice treat for the finalists who have accomplished so much on the show.

That’s especially true if there’s a connection between the contestant and the star he or she will be singing with. And, yes, folks, as we heard last night, there’s a connection between Sundance and Kiss, even if that pairing is still a bit of a head-scratcher.

As for tonight’s other musical guest stars, they have absolutely NO BUSINESS on tonight’s season finale.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: The Voice has this all wrong when it comes to casting the finale, just like American Idol had it all wrong for years.

Because they’ve accomplished so much, the Top 4 should be the stars tonight. They should be the show’s big names. They should not be upstaged by the likes of John Legend, Ariana Grande or anyone else.

If there are guest star spots left — and there will be as long as The Voice insists on a two-hour season finale — they should go to former show standouts who have released new music.

Sting, The Weeknd and Bruno Mars do not need help marketing their music.

Emily Keener, Owen Danoff, Paxton Ingram and Nick Hagelin would probably welcome the assist.

Sting, The Weeknd and Bruno Mars have absolutely nothing to do with the long-running success of The Voice.

Barrett Baber, Luke Wade, Meghan Linsey, RaeLynn and Matt McAndrew do.

All the former contestants I’ve just mentioned have released new music since Season 11 of The Voice began, though you wouldn’t know it by watching the show.

Quite frankly, it was a slap in the face when The Voice forced Hannah Huston, Chris Jamison and Zach Seabaugh to compete for one performance spot on last week’s results show.

The Voice could have and should have made time for all three — they have new music, too — in part by cutting a performance by One Republic, which also needs no help selling music.

Promoting its alumni should be especially important to The Voice since NBC insists on being so greedy and ratings hungry that it airs the show twice a year — a move I’m sure is going to backfire in the long run.

Season 10 champ Alisan Porter has yet to release a post-show single. Yet The Voice is about to name her successor.

I can guarantee this. The Voice could present a two-hour finale of wall-to-wall music featuring the best its past contestants have to offer, and viewers would be amazed by the quality of music they’re creating.

During last night’s show, Carson Daly thanked viewers for helping make The Voice such a success.

It’s time for The Voice to show appreciation for its past contestants too.

After all, they’re the artists viewers tuned in to watch week after week.

See also …
2016 albums and EPs by Voice alumni
2016 singles by Voice alumni
2016 music videos by Voice alumni
Did I miss anyone? If so, drop me a line at [email protected].