Getty Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton
“The Voice” coach Blake Shelton is the only original cast member left. He revealed in a new interview that fellow OG coach Christina Aguilera taught him a valuable lesson during their time on the show together. Here is what he had to say about what he learned from the pop diva.
Christina Aguilera Taught Blake Shelton the Value of Saying ‘No’
In an interview with People where Shelton talked about his marriage to musician and fellow “Voice” coach Gwen Stefani, his career trajectory, and his time on “The Voice,” the country singer revealed that one of the most valuable lessons he ever learned was when Christina Aguilera taught him the power of the word “no.”
“I learned this from — believe it or not — Christina Aguilera that there’s nothing more powerful than the word ‘no’ if you’re trying to get where you’re going,” said Shelton.
He added that he knew his career had “really, really changed” when he was able to say no.
“We used it a lot of times in the last 10 years. It’s like, ‘Hmmm, no, even though that’s a lot of money, I don’t want to do that.’ And next thing you know, all of a sudden, it’s twice the amount of money. And that big ‘no’ all of a sudden became a ‘yes,'” said Shelton, adding, “When I was fortunate enough to be able to use the word ‘no’ is when my career really, really changed in a big way because it’s almost like a poker game.”
He finished by saying, “Now I really mean it when I say ‘no.'”
Shelton Also Admitted Sometimes His Ego Gets In The Way
In the interview, Shelton also talked about the path his country music career has taken and how he is always looking to change things up, which might be part of the problem.
“We’re always looking for something different or what’s next, and that’s a hard thing to do because, when something works, you kind of want to go back to that,” Shelton said, but he added, “I know by now to stop doing that, but my ego gets in the way occasionally.”
He also said that chasing “something different” might be what has kept him from being a more credible country artist, which is an interesting comment to make because Shelton is a very successful country music artist — he has over 100 different awards on his mantle, including 10 CMA Awards, six ACM Awards, and three American Music Awards. He has never won a Grammy but he has been nominated nine times.
Shelton has also notched 14 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Chart. But still, he said he thinks that has “probably kept [him] from being maybe one of the more credible artists that’s come out of Nashville.”
“I’m a hundred percent OK with that because I did what I wanted to do, which is make records that … keep people wondering what’s gonna be next.”
“The Voice” returns in the fall of 2022. With no spring 2022 season, it is the first time in the show’s history that it will only air one season per year. There is no word yet as to which coaches are returning.
READ NEXT: ‘The Voice’s’ Blake Shelton Takes A Dig At Ex Miranda Lambert