After "The Voice" retirement, Blake Shelton set the record straight about his future in the music industry.
Shelton formally announced that he would leave his post as a coach in "The Voice" after appearing in 22 seasons in the past 12 years. He revealed that he wanted to focus on his family after his wedding with Gwen Stefani.
That left fans with queries about whether he would retire from the music industry for good or not.
The 46-year-old "Nobody But You" singer finally shared his plans in an interview, saying that he would not leave his passion until he dies.
For PEOPLE's latest cover story, Shelton said he is still thinking about what he should do next after kicking off his tour in February 2023.
"Walking away from music, you might as well just poison me or something. That's not something I can go without. I can't help it," he said.
Still, he clarified that he is not rushing himself into releasing a new album since the country music industry is changing.
Elsewhere in the interview, he clarified that he is not stepping away from music.
Shelton took his time to praise the new country singers and applauded them for being creative in their chosen genre.
Will Blake Shelton Mentor Instead?
When asked whether he would like to guide the new singers, he said that he is also still learning despite releasing several No. 1 hits since he started his music career.
To do that, Shelton started planning on where to concentrate more after stepping away from "The Voice." For now, he hinted at a potential record or another tour soon.
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Shelton announced his "The Voice" retirement in an Instagram post in October, writing, "It's been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at 'The Voice' from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of hard work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week."
He started coaching the young aspirants in 2011 alongside Season 1 coaches CeeLo Green, Adam Levine, and Christina Aguilera.
The talent competition program led him to meet his now-wife after she joined the panel in 2014.
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