FIRED UP !

AFTER LEANING INTO FAMILY LIFE FOLLOWING THE VOICE, THE SINGER IS AS PASSIONATE AS EVER ABOUT HIS COUNTRY ROOTS

- By MELODY CHIU

Blake Shelton is the first to admit he was entirely burned-out when he left The Voice in May 2023 after 23 seasons. “It took about a year before I even was open to the idea of, ‘What's next?’” says the country superstar, 48. Hunkered down at home last year with his rocker wife, Gwen Stefani, 55, and stepsons Kingston, 18, Zuma, 16, and Apollo, 11, Shelton got an unexpected call from Post Malone to collab on the runaway hit “Pour Me a Drink.” The song's success “lit a fire under me,” says Shelton, who headed back to the studio to record his 13th LP, For Recreational Use Only. The album's lead single, “Texas,” earned the singer his 30th No. 1—and the milestone isn't lost on him. “I’ve always been a nerd for country music stats. Early on I thought it was important to know these things about my heroes,” says Shelton, noting George Strait’s 60 No. 1s. “Now to have my own chapter where I can go, ‘Man, this is my catalog and my legacy...' It really is exciting.”

After some time away, how are you approaching this phase of your career?