Heavy/NBC/GettySting will appear on “The Voice” beginning on November 11, 2024

When music legend Sting joins season 26 of “The Voice” as one of two Mega Mentors, it will be his first time on the show — and his first time watching it. Before signing on alongside Jennifer Hudson to mentor contestants, he knew nothing about the NBC competition.

“I have a confession to make,” he told People on November 7, 2024. “I’d never seen ‘The Voice.’”

Though he was nervous to say yes, being friends with coach Gwen Stefani — whom he first met when she was a 13-year-old fan — helped convince him that it would be a worthwhile thing to try, he said. And, in the end, he’s looking back on his experience positively.

Sting Says After Filming ‘The Voice,’ He’s Relieved About How It Went

Sting and Hudson, a former coach on “The Voice,” will each mentor half of the 36 remaining contestants for the Knockout round, which begin on November 11. Sting will mentor Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg’s teams, while Hudson will work with the artists on Reba McEntire and Michael Bublé‘s teams.

Sting, 73, told People that when he learned about the show and they wanted him to mentor rising artists, he was nervous about it.

“When I was given the premise of the show, I was a little bit anxious, but I know Gwen very well,” he told the outlet. “I’m a big admirer of Snoop Dogg, and so I thought, I’m going to take a risk. I’m going to go on the show even though I’m a little trepidatious.”

Sting also told Billboard he was “reticent” about saying yes because “the premise of the show is frightening to me, this sort of competition.”

“I think art and music aren’t really competitions,” he continued. “If you win the U.S. Open, you are the best player at that particular time. But singing is different. Everybody’s voice is unique.”

Fortunately, he found taping the show to be “nourishing and joyful,” he told People.

“I really feel good about the show,” he said. “I feel good about myself, and I feel good about the young singers who are putting themselves through this ordeal. It is an ordeal, but I’ve loved it so far.”

“In teaching, there’s no such thing as teaching, actually,” Sting continued about enjoying his role as a Mega Mentor. “What happens in a classroom is learning and people learn through enthusiasm. A teacher’s job is just to be enthusiastic, show appreciation, curiosity,” he said. “And that’s your job here. To do the same thing, to be curious.”

Sting Says He Was Impressed With Gwen Stefani as a Mentor

GettySting and Gwen Stefani perform onstage at the 2014 Global Citizen Festival

Over the years, Stefani has become a friend and was a welcoming presence on the set of “The Voice,” Sting told People.

The two first met her when Stefani was a 13-year-old fan, the outlet reported, and first worked together years later in 2003, when her band No Doubt performed with him at the Super Bowl XXXVII halftime show.

“She’s been a friend over the years and I so admire her,” he told People. “I’m so impressed by her ability to communicate with the singers so succinctly and so intelligently, so compassionately. And it’s not an easy job. And she does it with such aplomb.”

Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg said that he was star struck while working with Sting, who will also appear on his upcoming album with Dr. Dre called “Missionary,” per Billboard.

“Like a child that’s infatuated with somebody as a singer, and you get a chance to meet them and they give you everything you expected, that’s what happens with me all the time,” Snoop told People. “I meet people I’ve always wanted to meet and they’re everything I wanted them to be.”

The Knockouts on “The Voice” kick off with back-to-back episodes on November 11 and 12.