'The Voice' Coaches Honor Prince

The Voice started out way differently than it normally does, but there was really no better way to get into the night. Instead of jumping right into the contestant performances, The Voice coaches took the time to honor Prince and talk about what he meant to them as artists and fans. Every single one of them was flowing with praise for the late artist and could not say enough nice things. In all honesty, I feel like they probably could have filled up the whole two-hour time slot with their accolades.

Adam Levine really took the loss to heart. He explained the the impact of Prince's death, saying, "It's all been so sort of shocking that processing all of it has been a little bit difficult. It just seems like we woke up and he was gone. Probably one of the most profound musical influences on me, personally. The whole world felt his presence always." Levine also commended Prince for his individuality when he said, "He did things his way. Always. To the end. I just have a lot of respect for someone who was going to continue making amazing music and never change anything about who he was."

After talking about fond memories of listening to Prince music with his aunt growing up, Pharrell said what we have all been thinking ever since Prince passed: "I know that every time that I see purple — and everyone else here too — we will definitely be thinking of Prince." He could not be more on point with that remark.

Christina Aguilera echoed Levine's praise for Prince's refusal to conform when she said, "I loved his passion for artists and artists rights and truly staying authentic and genuine to music. There is nothing manufactured about what he did and what he stood for and that I appreciated more than anything about him."

Blake Shelton shared sentiments that many of us could relate to since he did not know Prince personally and he spoke of Prince's impact on him as a fan. Shelton said, "His music still to this day can change my day. It changes my mood every time I hear it. He was larger than life and now he's gone. It's a shock and it's upsetting. He's already missed."

It's nice to see the coaches acknowledge that there is more to this show than the competition itself and that there really is an appreciation for having an unique voice and an individual point of view just like Prince did.