Blake Shelton just said what we all thought about Kelsea Ballerini replacing him on 'The Voice'
Blake Shelton has been a part of 'The Voice' since its inception in 2011. He mentored numerous talented artists and won nine times while dominating the red chair for 23 seasons. Shelton regretfully announced quitting the show in October 2022 after toying with the idea of taking a back seat to enjoy family life with his wife, Gwen Stefani. "I've been wrestling with this for a while, and I've decided that it's time for me to step away from 'The Voice' after season 23," he expressed in a lengthy post on Instagram. Meanwhile, country-pop star Kelsea Ballerini was introduced as the new coach for season 27. In a recent interview with American Songwriter, Shelton candidly expressed his thoughts about Ballerini "filling his shoes."
The journalist quizzed Shelton, "How do you think Kelsea Ballerini is doing as a country representative on 'The Voice'?" “I love Kelsea, I really do,” the 'God's Country' hitmaker said. “She’s one of my absolute favorites in this business. She’s fun to be around. Does she fill my shoes?” He pondered for a minute, then joked, “I don’t think so.” He continued, “I mean, I’m the champ, okay. She’s got a long way to go. Let’s get one win, and then we can start talking about how she’s doing filling my shoes,” he remarked, asserting his OG status. In the meantime, Ballerini has labeled her equation with fellow coaches as 'brotherly.'
"There’s a level of warm and fuzzy we all have for each other," she exclusively told Byrdie in February. "There’s never been a day, not once, that we’ve left set without texting the group chat to build each other up," she said while explaining she found "three new brothers." Although this is her first time as a full-time mentor, Ballerini revealed she was a part of the show in 2018 as a coach for 'The Comeback Stage' and a battle advisor for Kelly Clarkson's team in 2019. The 'Miss Me More' singer also filled in for Clarkson in 2021. Ballerini confessed during her cover interview that she manifested her dream job: "I have a screenshot on my phone! I sent a text to my girlfriends, and I was like, ‘I really think I want this chair one day.' "
Apart from being a coach, Ballerini recently released a new album, 'Patterns.' She confessed to having gained insightful knowledge about balancing out her acts while working and filming on both projects. "I think it’s really sharpened me as an artist because as you’re giving advice, you’re also reminding yourself of the same thing," she said. "As I was filming 'The Voice,' I was also finishing the album. Then I was putting the album out, and I was actually doing the things I was giving advice about, so it was a refresher for me," she added.
Meanwhile, Shelton has been leading a contented life watching football and spending time with his wife after retiring from 'The Voice.' In October, the country legend dropped a new single titled 'Texas.' He has also inked a new deal with BMG. "It was just time for a new chapter, honestly. And I'm ready for it," he told People.