Photo by: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

NBC’s competition singing series ‘The Sing-Off’ hosted by multi-platinum recording artist and newly married Nick Lachey, returned this week but with the addition of new judge pop singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, who took the place of Nicole Scherzinger who went on to Simon Cowell’s ‘X Factor.’

The show features 16 of the country’s best a cappella groups performing the best popular songs for America’s vote with the winner walking away with a Sony Music contract and $100,000.

No stranger to the genre, Sara had an a cappella group in college, and sang in last season’s finale.

On a press call recently with current judge Ben Folds and Sara, who also joins other current judge Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, told us reporters that, “This is the season of innovation. It’s not just a cappella anymore, people will do whatever they have to in order to stand out and be different.”

‘The Sing-Off’ airs Monday’s at 8p ET on NBC.