Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images
Blake Shelton is opening up about his experience with burnout, and how another celebrity in the music industry helped him out of a music slump.
Following his exit from The Voice after being a judge on the singing competition show for 23 seasons, the country crooner admitted that it took him “about a year” before he could even think about what was next for him.
While speaking in a new interview with People, Shelton revealed that it wasn’t until Post Malone called him up to collaborate on their hit duet, “Pour Me a Drink,” that he got the wheels turning for his next album.
Shelton, 48, said the success of the song “lit a fire” under him to get back into the recording studio, and now, he has already earned his 30th No. 1 hit with his new album’s lead single, “Texas.”
“I’ve always been a nerd for country music stats,” he told the outlet. “Early on I thought it was important to know these things about my heroes…Now to have my own chapter where I can go, ‘Man, this is my catalog and my legacy.'”
“It really is exciting,” the “Sangria” singer added.
NDZ/Star Max/GC Images
Blake Shelton has spent decades entertaining country fans with his music, belting out chart-topping hits.
The singer released For Recreational Use Only earlier this month, after his single Texas took over the charts for weeks.
Unfortunately for Shelton, his latest album had a very weak debut on the Billboard 200 chart. According to Forbes,For Recreational Use Only debuted at number 46, making it a career low for the country crooner.
It debuted even lower than Shelton’s first-ever album, Blake Shelton, which came in at number 45 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2001.
Throughout his career, Shelton has had many of his releases drop straight into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, so this is a big change for him.
Despite the weak start on the Billboard 200 chart, it’s not all bad news for Shelton. For Recreational Use Only, sales were at an all-time high for the week. The album also had a strong debut on the Top Album Sales chart at number 6 and on the Top Country Albums list at number 8.
One vast difference between Shelton’s last album, Body Language, and his current one is that the latter wasn’t released by a major label, which could explain the low chart placement.
The news surrounding For Recreational Use Only and its low spot on the Billboard 200 definitely isn’t what Shelton or fans want to hear. However, that doesn’t mean things won’t change or that the singer has lost his touch.
Shelton has become known for turning pretty much any song he sings into a hit, and he has the awards to prove it. Every singer has a disappointing album start at some point, even those who are bona fide stars.
Meanwhile, the country star has plenty to keep his mind off the career low, like his new reality TV show, The Road, debuting this fall, and his recent reunion with Adam Levine on The Voice.
