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TL;DR:

  • Blake Shelton reflected on his 20-plus years in music and The Voice at the Country Radio Seminar in February.
  • The country star hasn’t announced his retirement yet, but he knows the day will come.
  • Blake Shelton previously expressed his desire to lead a simpler life with his wife, Gwen Stefani, in the future.
The Voice coach Blake Shelton, who recently spoke about his retirement
Blake Shelton | Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Bud Light

After 20 years in the music industry, 10 of which were spent on The Voice, Blake Shelton has started talking about his retirement. The country icon recently appeared at Country Radio Seminar (CRS), where he looked back on his long and successful career. Although Shelton’s not quite ready to retire yet, he understands the day will come when he must hang up his guitar. And that’s OK with him.

Blake Shelton reflected on ‘The Voice’ and over 20 years in the music industry

Shelton entered the music industry with his debut single, “Austin,” in 2001, which topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The singer has come a long way since then, having released 12 albums and over 50 singles.

Shelton’s successful career has been recognized with nine Grammy nominations and several CMT Awards. In 2011, he received the honor of becoming one of the first coaches on The Voice, where he’s remained for all 21 seasons with eight wins under his belt.

As Country Now reported, Shelton spent his time at CRS reflecting on his career. He explained that he “couldn’t be prouder and happier” to have come so far. If he were to stop performing big shows or receiving awards, that would be fine. All Shelton needs is the satisfaction of knowing the strides he made in his life.

“I don’t want to sell out stadiums. … I don’t care about winning any awards,” Shelton said. “My award and stadium is when I look back at the last 20 years of my life and go, ‘Man, how the f*** did that just happen?”

Blake Shelton said his retirement will come when he’s ‘not relevant anymore’

As much as Shelton loves making music, he recognizes the day will come when it’s time for him to stop. The “God’s Country” singer also looked to the future at CRS, revealing that he’s come to terms with someday retiring.

“It’s always over at some point, and I’ve always been prepared for that, and I’ve braced myself for it,” he said. “And I learned to accept it a few years ago, maybe three or four or five years ago that it’s coming.”

Shelton doesn’t have a concrete plan for when he’ll retire. However, he said the decision is ultimately up to fans, as there will likely come a day when they’re ready to move on to other artists like Luke Combs or Morgan Wallen. When that day arrives, Shelton won’t put up a fight.

“I want to make great records, and the moment that I feel like I’m really not that relevant anymore, I don’t think I want to make them anymore,” he continued. “I’m not somebody that’s ever going to beat my head against the wall, because this room, these people, this industry has given me way, way more than I ever deserved. … When it’s my time to make room for somebody else, the last thing I want to do is keep them screaming to keep my spot.”

Shelton previously spoke about settling down with Gwen Stefani for a ‘simpler life’

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Blake Shelton’s honest discussion of retirement echos a previous statement he made about his future with his wife, Gwen Stefani. He married the pop singer in July 2021 after five years of dating, having met her on the set of The Voice. A few months before their wedding, Shelton revealed that he pictured a quiet future together. And he hoped that future would arrive “sooner rather than later.”

“I mean, [Gwen and I have] both pretty much taken it to the limit as far as our careers go and touring and now the television thing,” he told Hoda Kotb on Today in March 2021. “It’s been fortunate to accomplish a lot of things. But, hopefully, at some point, we get a chance to live some life.”

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