In 2015, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani seemed like an odd pairing.
Coming from entirely different worlds—one where Stefani didn’t even know Shelton existed—to meeting on The Voice and going through public divorces simultaneously, Shelton and Stefani’s strong friendship was rooted in being there for each other in their darkest times.
In a 2016 interview, Shelton said, “Gwen saved my life. Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile divorce from another musician? You can’t even imagine the similarities in our divorces.”
As a way to heal from their divorces, both singers threw themselves into work and released their “break-up albums.” Shelton’s was titled If I’m Honest, while Stefani’s was called This Is What The Truth Feels Like.
If I’m Honest topped Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart and included five singles, four of which topped at least one chart. A viral song from the album that was never released as a single was “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” a duet with Gwen Stefani.
They realized that although they couldn’t have been more different when they came together, it was magic—musically and otherwise.
Their collaborations continued. The following year, Shelton was featured on Stefani’s song “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.” In January 2020, they released “Nobody But You,” which is included in Shelton’s compilation album Fully Loaded: God’s Country. “Nobody But You” hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart the week of May 2, 2020.
They followed up that chart-topping duet with another just six weeks later. “Happy Anywhere” was released in July 2020 when the world was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The duet topped the Country Airplay chart on December 12, 2020. “Happy Anywhere” became the first single released off Shelton’s 2021 album Body Language.
Blake and Gwen’s fifth collaboration together was first teased in February 2024.
The duet was officially released on February 9, and fans have loved it! The couple debuted the song at a Super Bowl event and sang it on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
They also brought a live performance to the 2024 ACM Awards held on Thursday, May 16, in Frisco, Texas.
Talk about a POWER COUPLE ❤️🔥@blakeshelton and @gwenstefani are taking the #ACMawards stage together LIVE May 16 at 8e | 5p on @primevideo. https://t.co/bukzB1NHpz pic.twitter.com/FkfoqYIHxS
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 7, 2024
Hosted by Reba McEntire, the night was remembered, thanks to their incredible performance of “Purple Irises.” Stefani wore a gorgeous purple outfit that made her look like a purple iris, while Shelton kept it simple with a black sport coat and his signature blue jeans and boots.
They received a well-deserved standing ovation, and it’s being regarded as one of the best performances of the night!