As Season 27 of The Voice rolls on, fans have noticed the sweet friendship that’s formed between Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini — and it’s something that has drawn parallels to Levine’s bond with longtime frenemy Blake Shelton!
In an April 7 interview with PEOPLE, Levine spoke about Ballerini’s ascent to a fan-favorite Coach and her impact on his return to the show. According to Levine, he and Ballerini bonded the first time they met.
“We got along famously instantly — like a nice, friendly, sweet version of when I met Blake.”
(Another day talking about The Voice, another hilarious dig at his real-life best friend.)
One moment that sticks out for Levine regarding Ballerini is when the Coaches first got together to perform as an ensemble during the premiere. Ballerini sent some southern sass his way, and that’s when Levine realized The Voice struck gold with its newest addition.
“I’ve only really ever sung with an ensemble group of people on The Voice, so it’s still foreign to me a little bit,” he explained. “And I go in my feelings, go inside a little bit, close my eyes, whatever — and we did a take of this song for the Coaches’ performance, and then she looked up at me, and she’d be like, ‘Hey, you going to pretend you like us?’ And I thought that was so fucking funny and on point and great — and just instant friendship, because I always love someone who’s not afraid to give me a little bit of shit.”
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Levine knows a thing or two about that. He and Shelton got so heated at times filming The Voice that many fans thought they genuinely disliked each other. (Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.)
In Levine’s eyes, Ballerini’s best trait is her authenticity. The 31-year-old country sensation is unabashedly genuine, and the Maroon 5 frontman immediately picked up on it.
“What I like about her is that what you see is what you get,” Levine continued. “A lot of things these days are manufactured, but she’s been really tried-and-true to who she is and unafraid to do what she wants to do musically.”
The admiration that exists between the two can be seen during every episode of The Voice. Since their Coach’s Chairs are next to each other, viewers can often spot Levine and Ballerini looking at each other for encouragement to push that iconic red button!
Unsurprisingly, Levine predicts big things for Ballerini in the future and is glad to be part of her ascent in the music world.
“In this moment, literally while her star is rising, however you want to say it, she’s handling it all with so much poise and grace, and it’s interesting to watch,” he said.
Kelsea Ballerini opens up about Coaching alongside music icons
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A big part of why Ballerini has fit in so well alongside Levine and the other Coaches this Season is because she’s been a fan of them all for years.
Working alongside her idols has to be a dream come true!
“Being in a seat next to people that I grew up on more or less … like, [Maroon 5’s] Songs About Jane is one of my favorite records of all time. I’ve covered John Legend a million times. I went and saw Michael Bublé at Bridgestone in Nashville,” Ballerini told PEOPLE. “I’m a fan of these guys.”
