Blake: Ole Red Orlando
Blake visited and performed at his most recent Ole Red in Orlando, FL.
The Boot
Blake Shelton's activity on Twitter has been censured and censored. The singer concedes that his rowdiest tweets might be behind him — he has even take the app off of his phone!
It's a stunning confession for one of country music's most prolific Twitter personalities. He built a following of more than 20 million on the platform with his mix of jokes, truths, pranks and conversations (often under the influence of alcohol). The latter category is what got him in trouble.
During a media session at Ole Red in Orlando, Fla., Ryman CEO Colin Reed revealed that Shelton's team now handles much of his Twitter activity. While the singer's massive social media following was one of the things that initially attracted him to the idea of partnering with Shelton for the expanding restaurant and music venue chain, there's a lot at stake in 2021.
"He has a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time," Reed says, with Shelton alongside him, smiling. Other artists have talked to the "Minimum Wage" singer about his language.
"Reba [McEntire]'s been hard on me. The Diamond Rio guys have gotten onto me. Oak Ridge Boys have talked to me about it," Shelton admits. "I finally just took it off my phone because, I mean, when you drink, you got s--t to say. Take it off my phone — I can't say it."
That's not to say Shelton doesn't make appearances on Twitter occasionally. Recently he shared home footage of an opossum eating his dinner, and that went viral. From time to time, he'll engage in disagreements with fans, but the account is now mostly promotional, if still entertaining.
At one point in Thursday's (April 15) conversation, the idea of Snoop singing at Ole Red was thrown into the breeze. Reed encourages that kind of level of star on the bar stages in Orlando, Nashville and Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Tishomingo, Okla. The logo — a big hound dog — would work for the rapper.
In the meantime, expect more artists from The Voice to play the various Ole Reds. Shelton also let it slip that RaeLynn will be playing a residency at the venue soon.
Kiss 95.1
Blake Shelton will be performing at Sunday night’s (4/18) ACM Awards in Nashville, where he and his fiancé Gwen Stefani are nominated for Musical Event for “Nobody But You.”
Yesterday (4/15), before it was announced that the winner of the musical event category was Carly Pearce and Lee Brice for “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Blake talked about getting that ACM nomination with his wife to be and how special it was.
Shelton said in an Orlando press conference for his new club opening Ole Red, “I can’t believe that I get to be nominated for award with my best friend, it was just one of those moments where it’s like how do you get so blessed and so lucky. It’s unbelievable.”
Blake then joked, “I don’t know what are chances are to win that thing but if we don’t win we’ll know it’s rigged.”
Shelton will be performing his song “Austin,” which is 20 years old this week, as well as his current single “Minimum Wage” on the ACMs which will air live at 8PM ET on CBS on Sunday (4/18).
Entertainment Tonight
Blake Shelton loves being nominated for awards with his fiancée, Gwen Stefani! ET's Cassie DiLaura spoke to the 44-year-old singer in honor of the opening of the Orlando location of his Ole Red restaurant, and he gushed over being up for an Academy of Country Music Award alongside Stefani at this year's ceremony.
The engaged couple's up for the Music Event of the Year category for their song, "Nobody But You." The nomination marks Stefani's first ACM nod. Shelton and Stefani previously won a CMT Music Award for the song.
"I texted her actually this morning on the way here. I wish she was here with me," he said. "... I said, 'I can't believe that I get to be nominated for awards with my best friend'... How do you get so blessed and so lucky? It's unbelievable."
After ET spoke with Shelton, Carly Pearce and Lee Brice were announced as the winners of the category, for their song, "I Hope You're Happy Now," ahead of Sunday's ceremony. During ET's chat, Shelton joked about how he and Stefani would feel if they lost the award.
"I don't know what our chances are to win that thing, but if we don't win, we'll know it's rigged," he quipped.
While he may not be a 2021 ACM winner, Shelton is still set to take the stage at Sunday's ceremony in Nashville. Shelton will perform a mashup of his songs, "Austin" and "Minimum Wage," the former of which, his debut single, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
During ET's chat with Shelton, he marveled over his two-decade career.
"I wanted to be a country singer on the radio and I didn't really have any plans or goals beyond that," Shelton said. "... I had 'Austin,' it was a big hit. Then we came out of the gate after that and stumbled, had a few songs that flopped, came back with 'Old Red' and it was kind of a hit. Then we had some flops, and I realized, man, making it more than a minute in this business, you have done something [right]."
Shelton noted that still having a song on the charts 20 years after his debut makes him the "luckiest guy in country music."
"I don't know how that happens. I don't," he said. "... I have so many of my friends that came out the same time I did and they had incredible careers, but they didn't last this long. I look at them as way more talented and better than anything I do. So I just know how lucky I've been. [I] guess I made some good decisions along the way and surrounded myself with people that I trust and are good at what they do."
Country Now
Blake Shelton is performing “Minimum Wage,” at the ACM Awards on Sunday night, but that’s not all: He’ll incorporate his newest single into a medley with the debut single that started it all, “Austin.”
Spring 2021 also happens to mark the 20th anniversary of the release of “Austin,” which Shelton sent to radio in March of 2001. At a press event on Thursday (April 15), Shelton explained some of the details of how the performance came together, and shared why he was excited to bring both songs to the ACM stage.
“The ACMs wanted to do a tip of the hat to the fact that I’m, first of all, still alive, second of all, that I’m doing this 20 years later,” he said. “I’m not [usually] a big medley fan — I like to either do the song or not — but what with it being what it is for ‘Austin,’ I didn’t wanna miss the chance. If they were willing to honor the song, I wanted to get that in there, so that’s what we’re doing.”
Shelton goes on to say that for him, “Austin” was more than just his breakout hit: It was also the beginning of his education on just what it takes to stay at the top of the country radio game, and made him appreciate his musical heroes on an even deeper level.
“As I got into the business and had a song or two on the radio, I started realizing how incredible George Strait’s career has been,” he points out. “Because I had ‘Austin’ and it was a big hit, and then we came out of the gate and stumbled, had a few songs that flopped…I realized, ‘Man, making it more than a minute in this business, you’ve done something.’”
That makes him even more grateful to still be notching hit singles, Shelton adds. “20 years later, to still have a song on the charts — I mean, I don’t know how that happens. I don’t. I’m literally the luckiest guy in country music,” he says.
Of course, there is one downside to remaining among country music’s A-List for two decades and counting: With so many hits under his belt, sometimes Shelton forgets the words to his own songs. To help with that, he’s got some advice from his fellow country hitmaker, Luke Bryan.
“I learned this trick from Luke Bryan, because Luke’s the worst about going, ‘Y’all sing!’ [and holding his microphone out to the audience at shows.] I [asked him], ‘Man, what’s that,’ and he said, ‘I can’t remember my damn words,” Shelton jokes. “So it’s easier to have the crowd sing it for you, and they think they’re part of the concert — they’re just saving his ass. So if I do that…you guys’ll know.”