?For music lovers and talent show enthusiasts, Netflix’s new reality singing competition Building the Band is ready for you to hit play. The competition reimagines the traditional talent show, drawing elements from Love Is Blind where blind interactions in a cube-shaped studio dictate connections and group formations between the singers.

Fifty singers with a dream and six final bands. The fate of the singers is entirely self-determined, an inventive concept that shifts the power from the executives to the artists themselves. Each aspiring contestant listens to performance after performance, picking and choosing who they like and who they envision teaming up with. Singers who get less than five likes are voted out in the first round. Connections are key as the singers get on calls with each other, scoping out their chemistry, musical preferences, and ambitions. Singers who don’t form connections are eliminated, while the rest lock in their final group members.

Guided by celebrity mentors and industry professionals, the contestants explore their group sounds and identities as they share living spaces for the rest of the show. Nicole Scherzinger of the iconic Pussycat Dolls appears as a mentor for all six bands, offering insights as a former girl group member. She is later joined by other former group members — including singer Kelly Rowland from Destiny’s Child — who step in as judges to evaluate the bands’ performances.

Competition gets real as the groups put on dazzling performances, with one group at risk for elimination each round. Viewers get a behind-the-scenes look into rehearsals, revealing the contestants’ bonds and sometimes tensions. The show offers a variety of group combinations, showing a mix of co-ed, all-girl, and all-guy groups, each blending individual tones and talents to form coordinated, well-rounded acts. The unique format brings together talents that you wouldn't typically think of seeing together, united purely by the connections they formed.

WHERE TO WATCH: You can stream Building the Band on Netflix. You can also find the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:29).

Tags: