Associated Press (May 2nd 2007)
Blake Shelton talks about divorce, leaving Nashville and new girl Miranda Lambert
If Blake Shelton comes across as a little gloomy on his new album "Pure BS," cut him some slack.
He was going through a divorce when he was making it, and let's just say he had a lot on his mind.
Eight of the 11 songs deal with relationships gone wrong, from the guy trying desperately to hold onto his girl in "Don't Make Me" to the one who runs into his ex- and her new beau in "I Don't Care."
Heartbreak is a hallmark of the old-style country that Shelton holds dear, but he found it's easier singing about other people's pain than your own. "I definitely think it's the best album that I can make, but I dang sure don't want to go through that again to make a good album," Shelton said.
The 30-year-old singer, who co-wrote three of the tracks, talked to The Associated Press recently about his music, returning home to Oklahoma and his new romance, among other things:
AP: You had a lot going on last year. How much did the divorce influence this album?
Shelton: I was making this record completely right through the divorce. I went through days where I knew I wanted to get a divorce, and then the next day I'd wake up and wouldn't want to get a divorce. And I'd wonder, 'What the hell am I doing? Why am I doing this?' I was dumping all those emotions I was going through and all that pain into this album.
AP: Do you feel that made for a better record?
Shelton: I know what I'm singing about now when I sing about breaking up, and about the pain that comes with a relationship like that. For once I don't feel like I'm just a guy singing these songs. I'm a guy who's lived these songs, and that makes a big difference I think when you listen to the other albums and compare them.
AP: You left Nashville last fall to move back home to Oklahoma. You said you never felt completely comfortable here. Why was that?
Shelton: When I moved here in 1994 I told everybody back home and myself that I was going back someday. I didn't want to live the rest of my life in Tennessee, or anywhere else but Oklahoma. After going through the divorce, I certainly didn't want to live in that house anymore. I had an odd feeling about it. So I just decided that it's time to go home.
AP: You started writing and performing when you were a teenager. Was your family musical?
Shelton: God, no. To this day, I have never heard my Dad sing one note. Not even humming. My mother is a pretty decent singer, but she never tried to pursue it in any way.
AP: What did your parents think when you announced you were heading to Nashville after high school?
Shelton: My parents knew they had better support me in music because it was about the only thing I was showing interest in. It was either that or roof houses for the rest of my life, and I did that enough to know that I really didn't like that. I told them I didn't want to go to college, and I was moving to Nashville. That was probably a hard pill for them to swallow, but they never let me see that. They said, 'All right then. If anyone can do this, you can.' They never had any doubt that I'd get my shot.
AP: You've been liked romantically to fellow country singer Miranda Lambert. Are you two still dating?
Shelton: It depends on what day you ask. Miranda and I have a very interesting relationship. She can get so mad at me that she just wants to punch me in the face, and we'll say that's it. Then, 30 minutes later we're calling each other and acting like it never happened. I think it's that we're both artists, and if I want to see her or she wants to see me, sometimes it just doesn't work out and it's frustrating. But I think she's somebody that I'm going to have in my life a long time. She's one of those few people you meet and have a connection with and you don't really fully understand it, but you know it's a pretty big deal.