Blake Shelton is receiving some criticism for his latest song, sparking the ire of several people on Twitter after debuting his single “Minimum Wage” on NBC’s New Year’s Eve television special last week. The track is a love song, ostensibly dedicated to Shelton’s fiancée Gwen Stefani, and features a chorus that reads, “Girl your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage.”
After Shelton debuted the song and its music video, he was met with backlash on Twitter from people who criticized the singer, for “romanticizing” minimum wage during a global pandemic that has cost millions of people their jobs. “A mega millionaire romanticizing minimum wage is peak 2020,” one person tweeted, noting that Shelton’s net worth is estimated to be at around $100 million.
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Does anyone else find Blake Shelton’s “Minimum Wage” song to be incredibly tone deaf to our country’s current state?
— Kyle Kramer (@KYLE0REN) January 1, 2021
blake shelton singing “your love could make a man feel rich on minimum wage” just cements the fact that rich people have absolutely no fucking clue
— cece 🦇 (@cecemado) January 1, 2021
Losing my mind watching Blake Shelton, a man who has $100M, sing “Your love is money, you make me feel rich on minimum wage” to close out 2020
— Amber wants a Green New Deal 🌹 (@Amber_Dawn89) January 1, 2021
A number of fans enjoyed the song, and one person pointed out that “There’s a time for songs like Minimum Wage but it isn’t now. It’s not relatable. People are out of work due to the pandemic. They’re fighting for their livelihoods as businesses are forced to close.”
Shelton had virtually joined The Voice host Carson Daly to premiere the video for “Minimum Wage,” which was directed by Stefani’s brother Todd. “I got engaged to Gwen Stefani,” Shelton told Daly while reflecting on his 2020. “I don’t care what else happened besides that. That made it a great year for me.” The video for the song is not currently online and the song is not on streaming services. It has not yet been announced when it will ship to country radio.
Shelton’s last album was the 2019 compilation album Fully Loaded: God’s Country, which contained his hit single “God’s Country.” He has since released two duets with Stefani, “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere” both of which have gone to No. 1. Todd Stefani also directed the music video for “Happy Anywhere.” Shelton and Stefani became engaged in October after dating for five years.
