International music star Daddy Yankee joins third season of Telemundo’s ‘La Voz Kids’ as coach of highly rated music competition

Telemundo announces that international music star Daddy Yankee, known as “The Most Relevant Latin Urban Artist in the World,” is joining  the third season of the highly-rated singing competition “La Voz Kids,” as one of the Coaches  on the new season slated to premiere next spring.  He will take the coaches chair on the Sunday night show alongside previously announced returning Coach Natalia Jimenez.  The Puerto Rican born singer will share his extensive expertise with a team of young talented participants on the “La Voz Kids” stage at Universal Orlando Resort. Following the success of the first two seasons, the reality competition series allows viewers to witness how the voices of the future generations are discovered and developed, as young vocalists between the ages of seven and fifteen years old, compete for a recording contract and a cash prize to support their education.

“Joining the third season of La Voz Kids as a Coach is an honor and it signifies so much to me as an artist since I truly want to help and mentor the new generation of young singers with big dreams in life,” said Daddy Yankee. “With DY in the house, I will make sure my team wins this new season,” he concluded.

Daddy Yankee marked another milestone in his career as a Latin urban artist with the release of his digital-only album titled “King Daddy,” debuting #1 on iTunes in its first day of release. Ten years after “Barrio Fino” became the top-selling Latin urban album of all time and “Gasolina” single-handedly launched reggaetón to the world, he continues to be the most influential and recognizable name in the music industry with over 11 million albums sold and more than 36 million fans throughout his social media networks. Named as one of the most influential Hispanics in the world by both CNN and Time Magazine, Yankee continued his trailblazing path with the release of his own video game in 2013, a world tour in 2014 that included Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His growing business empire includes his own production house El Cartel Records, his award-winning Los Cangris Music Publishing, and the film company that produced “Talento de Barrio,” starring himself. The film’s soundtrack, sold over 1 million copies worldwide and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Album charts, with the single “Pose” also hitting No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.

Yankee’s philanthropic efforts made him the recipient of the Billboard’s Spirit of Hope Award for his outstanding humanitarian work through his foundation “Corazón Guerrero.” His extensive accomplishments include nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and two Latin Grammys, among other prestigious awards. The release of his video “Limbo” of his album Prestige, became VEVO Certified after reaching over 300 million views and the album has earned him numerous awards and recognition including a 2013 MTV Video Music Award.

Telemundo’s “La Voz Kids” offers an innovative format featuring three stages of competition: the Blind Auditions, the Battle Rounds, and the Final Phase. During the Blind Auditions, the Coaches decisions are based solely on voice and not on looks. When the participant takes the stage, the Coaches will have their chairs turned and no visual reference of the kid auditioning. The Coaches have their backs to the participants and can only hear them perform, but they don’t get to see them thanks to rotating chairs. If a Coach is impressed by what he/she hears, they will push a button to indicate they “Want your voice,” selecting the participant for their team. If more than one Coach pushes their button, the power then shifts to the participant to decide which Coach they want to work with. If no Coach pushes their button, the participant is eliminated from the competition.

Once the teams are set, the battle is on! Coaches will dedicate themselves to developing their teams with the help of guest mentors, giving them advice and sharing the secrets of their success. During the Battle Rounds the Coaches will pit three of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. Only one will survive each Battle and represent the Coaches’ team in The Final Phase.

In the Final Phase of the competition, the television audience now has the opportunity to vote, and with the Coaches, will decide who will stay in the competition and who will go home.  In the end, only one kid selected by the viewing audience and named the “La Voz Kids” receiving a recording contract and the grand prize of $50,000 to support his/her education.

“La Voz Kids” is a production of Talpa Media USA Inc., created by John de Mol.