'The Voice' season 9 news: Selena Gomez as mentor

Before releasing several hit albums and starring in various films, Selena Gomez started out as a cast member on the children's TV series "Barney and Friends" back in 2002. The singer-actress' last TV role was in "The Wizards of Waverly Place" on the Disney Channel, but a new report has revealed that the 23-year old is about to make her return to television as a mentor in season 9 of "The Voice," which will premiere on Sept. 21 on NBC. 

A source told Us Weekly that the "I Want You to Know" singer will be joining season 9 of the hit NBC singing competition series as a mentor for Gwen Stefani's team. Meanwhile, John Fogerty will be on Adam Levine's team, Brad Paisley will mentor Blake Shelton's team, and Missy Elliott will be on Pharrell William's team. 

The insider revealed that Gomez was impressive as a mentor, saying, "She was surprisingly amazing as a mentor even though she's so young. She exceeded everyone's expectations." 

As for the other mentors, the source said that Levine always wanted to work with Fogerty, and that after the 70-year old performed on the show's season 8 finale, that's when the Maroon Five vocalist asked him to return as a mentor. Meanwhile, Paisley is said to be a good friend of Shelton's and that it was great for "The Voice" coach to work with his friend on the show. 

Fans of the show should expect Gomez and the other mentors to join the teams during the battle rounds, right after the blind auditions. 

Aside from joining the hit show, Gomez has also celebrated a lot of milestones last month. The star celebrated her 23rd birthday on July 22 in London, and she was seen strolling through the streets of the British capital with a group of female friends. A day before her birthday celebration, the former Disney star took to social media to announce the title of her new album, which is the follow-up to her 2013 solo studio album, "Stars Dance." 

On July 21, she tweeted, "Revival 10.9."  

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