Blake Shelton was always a fan of Gwen Stefani, dating back to her No Doubt days. But he is an even bigger fan of Stefani in recent years, after seeing how hard she works on her craft.
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"She's never, I don't think ever, given herself the credit that she deserves from a vocalist standpoint," Shelton says on the Today Show (via People). "And to see her work out different harmony parts and seeing what she's capable of, I think in the last few years, [she] really started to realize what she is capable of vocally."
Shelton and Stefani have recorded several duets together, ever since they began dating in 2015. The couple, who married in 2021, sing "Hangin' On" from Shelton's new For Recreational Use Only album, out now.
"Being in the studio with her," he adds. "Watching her come up with these parts and sing them and put them down and be done and go, 'Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that.' It's a lot of fun."
The Story Behind Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's "Hangin' On"
Shelton loves singing with Stefani, even if their new release is anything but a love song. The song is a heartbreaking ballad, but one Shelton knew right away would be perfect for Stefani and her voice.
"It's actually a break-up song that's about breaking up and still trying to stay together," Shelton tells Access Hollywood. "That's the title, 'Hangin' On.' It's really no reflection of where Gwen and I are, in our relationship, I hope. But it's a badass country song, and we wanted to do it. It's a song that pushes us vocally, and we just loved the song. We're to a point in our lives, we just want to do songs that we love, and then see what happens I guess later."
Shelton may not have considered "Hangin' On" if not for one of the writers, who sent him the song.
"Charles Kelley is actually a co-writer on this song, from Lady A," Shelton reveals on Audacy. "He's been a friend of mine for a long time, so when he sent this song over, I thought, 'Man, we better give this thing a listen.' Because if anybody knows how to write a duet, it's that guy. I'm super proud to have been given this song by Charles and I'm super proud that Gwen wanted to lean in on this thing and do a full-blown country duet with me, and I'm just really proud of this recording."
