Adam Levine quits 'The Voice' US

Cape Town – After 16 seasons Adam Levine has announced that he is leaving The Voice US.

The Maroon 5 frontman shared the news of his departure from the NBC show on Instagram.

In a lengthy post, he thanked the producer, the network, his fellow coaches and presenter Caron Daly.

Alongside a picture of the original coaches on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, he wrote: "About eight years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage.

"First, thank you must go to Mark. We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself 'there's some magic here. Something is definitely happening. It went on to be a life-shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever.

"Thank you, NBC for signing me up. I am truly honoured to have been a part of something I'll always cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with. That is shared experience that is singularly ours. We have that for life. Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I'd go."

SEE THE FULL POST HERE:

View this post on Instagram

About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage. First thank you must go to Mark. ?? We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself “theres some magic here. Something is definitely happening.” It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. Thank you NBC for signing me up. I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you to every single coach I ever sat in those chairs with. That is shared experience that is singularly ours. We have that for life. Thank you to everyone who supported this long strange and amazing left turn into a place I never thought I’d go. Thank you Carson Daly for babysitting the musicians and making sure our shoes were tied and we had our lunch boxes. You are the backbone of this thing and we appreciate you more than you know. Audrey, thank you for being perhaps the most patient person in all the free world. 4 musicians all at once is a lot. Sainthood is imminent. Thank you to Paul Mirkovich and the band for their ridiculously hard work and learning more songs than maybe any band ever. ?? Thank you to the people behind the scenes who do the real work and make this machine hum. To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and blew my mind on a daily basis. And, BLAKE FUCKIN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it. Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, Im just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life. Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy and I’m sure I’ll be back to say hi very very soon. So much love to you both. And lastly, to all of the loyal voice fans, there’s literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING. And Lastly, I’d like to thank my manager Jordan for convincing me to take that meeting. ?? What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much. ?? Adam

A post shared by Adam Levine (@adamlevine) on May 24, 2019 at 8:12am PDT

During his time on the show, Adam mentored three winning talent: Javier Colon (season 1), Tessanne Chin (season 5) and Jordan Smith (season 9).

According to People magazine, the 40-year-old was unhappy about the changes made to the format of the show.

A source told the publication that he was now a fan of the Live Cross Battles. In this new round, two coaches pick a talent to go head to head against another team's talent. The viewer votes the best performance.

"He really didn't like some of the changes to the format of the show last season, and it's just time for him to leave. It wouldn't be surprising if he came back to visit the show though," said the source.

The Voice also hinted at Adam's return in a note posted on Twitter: "We're going to miss Adam, but The Voice is family, and with family it's 'see you soon,' never 'goodbye."

SEE THE TWEET HERE:

pic.twitter.com/PKUhnED06N

— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) May 24, 2019

Gwen Stefani will return in the coach's chair alongside John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton for season 17 of The Voice US.

The Voice US season 16 will air on M-Net (DStv 101) from Friday, 31 May.