The Voice keeps Blake Shelton out in Los Angeles quite a bit these days, but he made a point to get to Nashville Friday to celebrate his recent #1 hits, “Over” and “Sure Be Cool If You Did,” and put in a performance at the CMA Music Festival that night. Staying connected to the country music community is a priority for Blake even though he’s arguably the format’s most visible star.

He says, “Sometimes when I’m out there for long periods of time, I start thinking, ‘Man, I hope I’m not getting passed over. I hope that people aren’t forgetting about me, or that I’m that not in the club anymore,’ because it’s hard not to think about that sometimes, ’cause I spend a crap load of time out there doing the television stuff.”

Blake adds that he’s worked hard to shine a light on country music on The Voice, and it’s definitely paying off. Blake’s fellow coaches often choose country songs for their contestants to perform on the show. The critics seem to be noticing the country influence too.

Says Blake, “I read a few articles about people saying the whole format has kind of shifted country, and my answer to that is, ‘You’re damn right.'”

The final five contestants perform on The Voice Monday night at 8 ET on NBC.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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