Blake Shelton Performs ‘Minimum Wage’ on ‘The Voice’ Finale

The Voice coach Blake Shelton showed off his skills during the show’s season finale on Monday night, taking the stage to perform his latest single, “Minimum Wage.” The Oklahoma native performed on a set designed to look like a gas station named “Blake’s,” a full band backing him as he sang.

Shelton released “Minimum Wage” in January as the first single from his just-released album, Body Language. Penned by Nicolle Galyon, Corey Crowder and Jesse Frasure, the track is a classically country lyric declaring that even if you don’t have much money, you’re still rich if you have love. “I just related to the lyrics so much, you know?” Shelton told CMT. “Just like probably 95 percent of artists out there, I struggled for so long to get by. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.”

“I knew what I wanted and I just didn’t even care,” he added. “I wanted to sing. And whatever I had to do to get by to be a singer, I didn’t care.” After working as a demo singer, Shelton was able to sign a record deal and began releasing music, becoming one of the biggest country stars of his generation. In 2011, he signed on to start coaching The Voice and was able to reach an even wider audience, and though his bank account has only grown since then, he’s still able to relate to the message of “Minimum Wage.”

“It’s literally a love song about how if times are tight and you ain’t got much money — as long as you have love and you’re happy — at the end of the day, that’s all any of us can really hope for,” he said. “You got it if you got that. That’s all that matters.”

He also dismissed the backlash that had surfaced after the song’s initial premiere. “I have to say, if we have to start thinking like this, then I guess that’ll be where I have to bow out,” the 44-year-old declared. “Because that’s one of the longest-standing traditions in country music is lyrics about love. And if you’ve got love, then that’s all that matters.”

“There won’t be much left to play or write about on country radio if this is something that we have to think twice about,” he continued. “So I’m going to put out the records that resonate with me and my life and not look back. As country artists and as an industry, we have to stay focused here and know that what’s right is right. And I believe this song is a great message and I’m proud of it.”