Country Countdown USA (Sept. 25th 2016)
Blake: Voice Is A “Different Show”
Season 11 of The Voice began last week, and veteran coach Blake Shelton told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton he’s having more fun than ever: “Literally The Voice is a different show this season, and it’s so fun. You’re gonna see the coaches having some of the best times we’ve ever had on that show, because we’re learning each others’ personalities, and having fun with it.”
The biggest change was the addition of two new coaches: Alicia Keyes and Miley Cyrus. For the first time, there are two women coaches: “It’s funny, now that it’s happened, I don’t think it ever dawned on me. I don’t remember thinking about it before. We kept going back to the original cast. Then we started changing it around, I never thought about it. But it’s definitely a game changer. Not just two female coaches, but those two in particular! Alicia Keyes has got to be one of the most respected artists in the world. And you figure that out in the blind audition process. These contestants are so fascinated by Alicia, and if she has skin in the game, you can forget about getting them on your team. She’s also very soft spoken. I finally told her one day, ‘I figured out your game.’ She whispers to people, and there’s something hypnotic about that. Miley is the complete opposite. She’s loud and she has a lot to say. I told Miley, ‘I know why in every picture your tongue is hanging out, because it’s tired.’ And that’s her game, that’s her angle, when she hits her button, you’re not gonna get a word in.”
Lon asked, when they were casting the coaches this season, did they run any names past you? “Yeah, a little bit. When they start the search, they’ll float a few names with me. Alicia is somebody they’ve been talking about for years. That’s one of the first names I’d heard mentioned. Miley was a surprise. Never heard that name mentioned. I didn’t think it would be something that would interest Miley, because she came from television. I couldn’t imagine her stepping back into that world. But she’s not only stepped into that world, but she’s embraced it. She loves working on the show. She is not playing, it’s not for publicity, she is 200% into this coaching thing.” Did you talk with her about that? “I did, and my favorite thing about her is you can talk straight up with her. She’s as country as I am. We have a lot in common. She is a smart girl. She does a lot of crazy stuff, but everything she does is something she’s thought out.”
After doing the show for five years and ten seasons, Blake and Adam know each other pretty well. But at the same time, Lon pointed out that the there is a disadvantage to being veteran coaches. Lon said, “You might know the personalities of Miley and Alicia, but you don’t know how they’re going to act on the show. Whereas if they’ve been watching the show, they kind of know your act.” Blake responded, “You have a good point, because we got the crap kicked out of us in the blind auditions. Finally we were able to figure out their game. You had to try to out-talk Miley and be as charming as Alicia. But the trouble with Adam & I is we start arguing with each other, and that leaves the door open for those girls.”
After the blind auditions, the teams will get to work with mentors. This season, Blake’s mentor is Bette Midler. Blake explained, “I have tried to get her to be my mentor for a while. I think she is so accomplished in entertainment across the board, and seems like a smart human being. You don’t get to that level, luck starts to run out at some point. Selfishly I wanted to spend some time with her, I’m a huge fan of her music, her movies, and I wanted to hang out with her and see what she was like. We spent two days together. We talked about everything. She felt like maybe she didn’t have a place telling artists what her thoughts were and giving advice. Once she started, she realized she had a lot to say. You watch the kid perform, and it’s obvious. She really got into it. She’s so funny. She has things to say that will never air on TV.”
Blake’s 40th Birthday Bash
Blake Shelton turned 40 on June 18th. That night he had a show at Country Jam in Grand Junction, Colorado. He told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton it was a birthday he’ll never forget.
“That was a fun night. The good thing about turning 40 for me is I don’t know anybody else that can say Gwen Stefani sang a song for them on their 40th birthday. That happened for me that night in Grand Junction. During my show, we did our duet together. Then at the end of the show…it was actually discussed in between the end of my show and the encore. I said, ‘Will you do Hella Good?’ She said, ‘Oh my God, are you kidding?’ I Said, ‘It’s my birthday!’ That set her back a little bit. We had rehearsed the song and everything. So I came out and did Footloose. Then I told the crowd, ‘I feel stupid, because I try to rock, and I can’t rock. I wish for my birthday I knew someone who could rock.’ The crowd picked up on that, and the band kicked in, and that place will never be the same. She had the entire place jumping up and down. So I forgot I turned 40, I just felt cool all of a sudden. To be able to introduce her to my audience, I feel like I’m giving them a gift. I can’t wait every time I know she’s around, she can come up, and I’ve sung on her shows too. It’s so much fun to feel the love from just music fans.”