Blake Shelton is a certified hit maker!
His recent single, “Texas,” became his 30th No. 1 song on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, and he still can’t wrap his head around the accomplishment!
“Hearing somebody say it, though, it freaks me out, it’s like, ‘What the hell!'” he told Access Daily’s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover.
It seems Blake has a thing for naming songs after Texas! His first chart-topping single came out in 2001 and was named after the state’s famous town, “Austin,” and he joked he still has “lots of options” for song names that reference the Lone Star State.
But Blake isn’t done making hits! His new album, “For Recreational Use Only,” came out on May 9 and marks his first studio album in the past four years.
When it came to picking a name for the album, Blake told Mario and Kit he wanted something different.
“‘For Recreational Use Only’ is the name of the album, which is totally stupid, I agree,” he joked. “But I wanted to come up with something that people wouldn’t forget.”
When it comes to what inspires him, Blake admits he’s constantly evolving.
“I just feel like I’m always trying to figure out what’s next musically without, you know, getting too far away from what’s believable and what I could get away with,” he said. “‘Texas’ is a good example of that, because it’s a departure from anything I’ve really ever done before. When I record with Gwen, though, that’s easy because she takes songs to some other land in the first place.”
In fact, two of Blake’s songs with wife Gwen Stefani, “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere,” have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart! The two teamed up again in Blake’s new album in a song titled “Hanging On.”
And as if his own country music domination weren’t enough, Blake is also dipping back into TV to help find new artists on the rise. The superstar is preparing to launch his new music competition show “The Road” with famed “Landman” and “Yellowstone” producer Taylor Sheridan. The series will follow multiple different acts as they open for Keith Urban in bars across the country, and Blake promised that viewers are in for a good time!
Blake’s new album, “For Recreational Use Only,” is out now.