Blake Shelton ‘Feels the Clock Ticking’ for New Music

It’s been more than a year since Blake Shelton released his No. 1 Texoma Shore album, but thankfully, the wait for new tunes might soon be over.

“I’m hoping by spring, we will have some new music out there,” Shelton told CMT‘s Cody Alan. “You always feel the clock ticking.”

Not that Shelton has been spending his time being idle. The Oklahoma native is once again back on The Voice for Season 16, where he draws inspiration from the hopeful contestants.

“I pull stuff that I have learned from The Voice,” Shelton said. “You can’t help it. After 16 seasons of doing that show and hearing so much different music and meeting so many different artists and seeing how they do it, of course that eventually manifests itself to what I do.”

The Voice might help Shelton draw inspiration, but it also can make finding time for other things, like hitting the recording studio, a challenge.

“The Voice has definitely affected my music,” Shelton conceded. “Mostly, I think, the timing of it because you kind of have to work around that schedule. But, I think we have done an OK job of trying to manage that. I’ve definitely felt rushed a few times with some records in the past.”

Shelton’s current single, and likely his last from Texoma Shore, is “Turnin’ Me On,” which he wrote with Josh Osborne and Jessi Alexander. The song, not surprisingly, was inspired by Shelton’s girlfriend, Gwen Stefani.

“I was [on my bus] alone, and I had my guitar,” Shelton recalled of the song. “I started playing a little melody that I was hearing in my head, and next thing you know, I started writing a song. I wrote a verse, then I wrote a chorus, then I realized it was going somewhere, and I felt good about it.”

“I’m super proud of it,” he added, “and it’s not hard to figure out who this song is about.”

Shelton is also spending time on the road, on his Friends & Heroes Tour, with the Bellamy Brothers, John Anderson, Trace Adkins and Lauren Alaina serving as his opening acts. Keep track of Shelton’s schedule at his official website.

Brooks & Dunn will join Shelton as Battles Advisors for this season of The Voice.

The Voice, which includes John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine as coaches as well, airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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