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Blake Shelton reunited with Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday (May 16), and revealed a new career goal after reaching his 30th No. 1 single.
Shelton, who left The Voice in May 2023, reunited with one of his fellow coaches on the heels of his latest studio album’s release. Shelton delivered For Recreational Use Only on May 9. The 12-track album includes No. 1 hit “Texas” (which includes a nod to legend George Strait), “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” “Let Him In Anyway,” “Heaven Sweet Home” with Craig Morgan, “Years” with John Anderson, “Hangin’ On” with Gwen Stefani and more. Shelton met powerhouse singer-songwriter Stefani as coaches on The Voice in 2014. They confirmed their relationship the following year, got married in 2021, and have released several duets together over the years.
Clarkson said it’s “insane” that Shelton has tallied 30 No. 1 hits, and deemed him “in that legend status.”
“Is there anything that you really would want to do musically that you haven’t done?” Clarkson asked.
“You haven’t had me on one of your records,” Shelton replied. He noted that Clarkson has appeared on one of his albums, nodding to his 2012 holiday project, Cheers, It’s Christmas, which released as a deluxe album in 2022. “That’s my goal. I just laid it out there right now. that is the thing. You’re trying to get me to answer the question…I’m saying right now. That’s my — that’s my musical goal.
“I do not lie on TV ever,” Shelton added.
“I can’t believe it’s been four years since we released an album [2021’s Body Language], and I’m excited to get the whole record out there,” Shelton said in a statement when he released For Recreational Use Only. “I’ve always been someone who wants to collect great songs but sometimes the hardest thing to do is to find something that hasn’t been said or written before or a melody that we haven't heard. I’m always on the search for that. I look back over the years, and I’m just proud because some of those songs don’t sound like anything else. And I think we did it again with this album.”