Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Blake.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Last time we talked, you were you raved about your
experience working with post malone. That's true and how it's
and to be fair, then you went and told everybody
else the same thing. So I got no views on
that video. But kidding, but it's cool to see somebody
who is so established not be afraid to reach back
(00:25):
and help a newer artist in the format, or somebody
who's established who wants to dip their toe in. So
now that we're talking, you know, another number one later
and you're feeling rejuvenated career wise. I mean, what would
you say to an artist in your spot who's plenty
established about working with you know, some of the newer
talent coming into the genre.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, I think it's I think it's an important thing
to do. Uh and and I'm seeing it more and more.
I feel like these days with with someone who's been
around for a while, like myself singing with it with
a new artist, and it's especially if it's somebody that
(01:07):
you believe in in what they're doing, because man, it's hard,
it's it's I can't even imagine being a new artist
these days and trying to break out of the pack
because not that It wasn't hard when I started, because
the opportunities were limited when I started. Now, I feel
(01:29):
like the opportunities everybody, every single person has an opportunity
because they have a phone and a TikTok or an
Instagram account. But because of that, how do you break
through the pack? How do you stand out of the
other one hundred thousand country artists that have that are
trying to make it right now?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
You know?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
And and sometimes it could be as simple as you know,
Kenny Chesney or a Brooks and Dunn saying, hey, you know, listen.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
To this song.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I just cut with this with this kid, you know
what I mean, and and bringing some eyeballs to them
and uh no, no not. Let's let's not confuse anything here.
Post Malone did not need me, you know, in any way,
shape or form I needed. I needed him to help me.
But uh I do see that a lot with with
with the younger developing artists, and I do think it's important.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
That's kind of what I did.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
On the Voice in some ways is you know, let's
try to get people to pay attention to these artists,
whether they want the show or not, you know, because they.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
It's it's hard it's tough out there.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Uh. As a guy who has operated at such a
at such a high level for so long and put
out so much great music, that means a lot to
I'm not country just country radio, but country music fans
in general.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Another thing you had brought up when we talked recently
is there was a pocketed time where you're like, nobody
wants to hear music from me. I'm not, you know,
you it you had like this lack of confidence knowing
that you're enjoying making music and you're and you're kind
of in this new level of your career. How do
you avoid going back to that spot, because obviously there
(03:10):
has to be a little like, damn, I lost a
little bit of time there, right, How do you avoid
focusing on that and just making sure you move forward?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, man, I got to tell you, I'm kind of
whenever it's my whenever.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
It's over for me.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
As far as being you know, relevant in a current
in a current way, I'm okay with with whenever that
is because I feel like I've already exceeded you know,
whatever is is is reasonable, you know, And uh, And
(03:51):
I don't want that to sound like I'm not super
over the top, excited about the fact that I'm still
getting to sit here and talk to guys like you
and and and and and have a moment where I'm
on the radio, you know, you know, with a song
that's getting played right after a Morgan Wallen song or something.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I I know what that is, and I appreciate it,
and I know how lucky I am and blessed. But
I also know that, you know, I've seen people that
even people that I look up to, that just could
never really take not take the hint, but just understand that,
(04:29):
Hey man, it's you're you're not your time came and went,
you know, and it's it's just not a good look
to keep keep it, you know, trying to swing at
this thing, you know. And so and I've had those
conversations with my manager where I've said, hey, man, when
this when it's not cool anymore, I need somebody to
(04:50):
tell me this, it's just not cool anymore, you know.
And I'll and I'll know that, I'll understand that. You know,
maybe it's going to take someone else to tell me that.
But when when that time happens, I'll be ready for,
you know, because I don't know that I deserved this
in the first place. And so whenever I get my
(05:12):
window shuts and it's because it's gonna be someone else's turn,
and I hope they get to do it just like
I did.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
You know, well, I'll tell you it's not going to
be your manager that tells you that, because he's got
a mortgage.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So it's true.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
The experience working with with obviously Hardy has written some
stuff for you recently, the experience working with post Malone,
how how has that helped you create a new version
of where Blake Sheldon's at in his career, because obviously
the song that we're that we're catching up on today
is getting close to being a number one song for you,
(05:49):
has it changed how you think when you're when you're
in a rite, when you're recording, when a song idea
comes up, Uh, you know.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Not really, I think more than anything, it just.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
It shows me what a contrast there is between you know,
what I do and the way I perform, and and
and and then the way they what they do and
the way they perform. It's really a completely different Uh.
It almost feels like a different lane. And I know
with specifically with Hardy, you know, he has such a
(06:25):
rock influence on on what he does, and he embraces
that and and he's so good at it. There was
one night I was performing somewhere, I have no idea where,
but I was on tour and I'd gotten a text
from Hardy and he's like, Hey, I'm in town, like
I want to come by and see the show. And
I said, if you're coming by, you're getting on stage
with me. And he was like, hell yeah, you know,
(06:47):
I said, we'll do God's Country together.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
And so I brought out Hardy.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
And you know, I'm a kind of a guy that
I pretty much for the most part stand in front
of the mic stand and and and seeing it. And
the next thing, I know, you know, Hardy's like this
guy that's like trolling around the stage, you know, like
like he's about to punch somebody, you know, and like
he's got the you know, all the stuff he does
with his hands and this personality, and I'm going, what
(07:13):
in the hell is this guy?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
You know? And then I then he became This was
before he was Hardy like like he is now. You know,
this was early on in his artist career.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
And now I see these videos of him and and
he's spot on. That's where the audience is, That's that's
what they want from him, because that's what they're doing
out there. You know, they're they're they're in your face,
they're active, they're headbanging, they're doing all this stuff where
you know, I was, I was in the generation of like,
oh my god, did you.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
See what Rascal Flats did?
Speaker 3 (07:44):
They They actually walked from one side of the stage
to the other.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
What about idiots?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
You know, they're so stupid, you know, And now it's like,
so I tried to fit into that. So imagine me
watching you know, uh, you know Hardy or or some
of these guys where it's just like a totally different
personality on stage.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
It's it's so fun.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
And so to answer your question, all I'm thinking of
is like, Okay, I'm going to record a Hardy song.
How do I There's no way I'm going to be
able to perform it like Hardy. So I just got
to figure out how to dumb it down to what
Blake Shelton does.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
You know when Hardy came out, were you like, shit,
we should have done this acoustic.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
A little bit, because you know, you can imagine me.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
I'm just going, Oh, my gosh, what is happening on
this stage right now? But it was so it was
such a a seeing. I was basically seeing the future
of country music that night, you know, because this would
have been twenty nineteen, just before he and Morgan and
some of these guys really broke the way that they've
(08:48):
done now and just completely shifted the genre to what
they do. And it was a neat moment for me
to see that.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Something else I wanted to ask you about is unt
your radio is about to turn uh the control of
all things to Saint Jude. Uh, Yeah, in the next
couple of days. Here being a part of the format
for as long as you have obviously you've you everybody
at some point has been heavily involved in Saint Jude,
Saint Jude's mission. Do you have a Saint Jude story
(09:19):
that pops out that you could share with us through
throughout any time?
Speaker 1 (09:23):
Of course?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (09:24):
I uh, early early on in my career, Uh.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
When I was doing radio tours and you know, all
all the stuff you do when you're when you're just
getting going, trying to shake hands.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Warner Brothers has sent.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Me to to the hospital, to to Memphis uh, to
go there and do an event, and there was a
there was a bunch of country artists there and Randy
Owen was even there for this and basically taking a
tour of the hospital and meeting some of the staff
and and and then a handful all of the patients
(10:01):
that they would even allow you to go meet. And Uh,
I'll never forget.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
I met a little girl there and she was in
her room, and her parents were there and and and
you know, visited for a little bit. And then I
walked out of the room and I was talking to
the staff and I was saying, you know, what's what's
to deal with her? And they and they told me,
they said, look, we don't think she's gonna make it
(10:27):
and and uh and the family is aware of this
and and they're here because, uh, we're trying to figure
it out and at the same time, we're learning so
much about how to treat this particular cancer that that
she has and and uh and I was so that
(10:48):
moment was so powerful to me, because I mean, there
there they are, uh, you know, battling for her life.
And at the same time, because of her battle, she's
she was going to save so many lives with all
the things they were learning about the cancer that she had,
(11:12):
you know, and it was it was just a moment
where everything came together in my mind. It's like, oh,
that's why. It's not just what it's not just the
people that are in here now, it's all the people
that are that are going to face this same battle
in the future. That's that's really for me why it's
(11:34):
so important to give to Saint Jude and to keep
that mission going and to be sure they have every
tool they need, you know, to dig in and learn
this stuff, do the research, learn learn the science behind
what it takes to beat some of these diseases, and
and and now here flash forward, you know, twenty five
(11:58):
years later. I still to this day think it's the
single most important charity work that I can that I've
ever been a part of, you know. And the fact
that Country radio embraces this and has made this there
it seems like to me, nationwide, their their cause, their
(12:20):
main focus every year. And this makes me proud because
it's one of those things that it really this is
the real deal, this this particular one. I know that
there's a lot of things out there that we see
that ask for our money or a donation.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
And it's easy to be skeptical of stuff. This is
not one. This is not one of those.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Well, I appreciate your time. I know you got to run.
The last thing I want to ask is for this
point that's that you're in your career, is the number
one song? What it used to be for you? Like
it is when you're young. It's when you're young and
you're new in the game and you just put a
couple of songs out. It's like a number one is
your whole world? What does it mean now that you've
had the success you've already had.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Well, I'm I mean, I'm going to tell you, you know,
I hit a stride there back around in twenty eleven
to two thousand and eighteen or nineteen, where you know,
I was on the voice and my that was kind
of the peak of my career those those years, and
and they're a blur to me. And I had a
lot of success, We had a lot of momentum at
(13:21):
radio and just in my career. And now I'm I'm
not there anymore. And and so now these these songs
that become hits for me feel like they do in
the beginning where it's like what are you kidding me?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Me like, what the hell you know?
Speaker 3 (13:40):
And I really I think I enjoy this phase of
my career as much as I did those early, you know,
years of just breaking in because I feel like, you know,
it's like this is this is a gift out out
of nowhere for me where I'm at, and man, I'm
loving it.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I really am.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Listen, man, I know you got a busy day. I
always appreciate catching up man, because you're always it's always
a great conversation. So thanks for the time today.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
Man Hey, thank you, brother, appreciate it. Get those arms
out for us once in a while, I don't you.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Listen, you come down to Broadway, you and I can
wear matching shirts and just walk up and down.