What is a king without his queen? Country singer Blake Shelton’s latest career milestone would have been impossible but for the support (literally) of his wife, former No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani.
The Couple’s Debut “Purple Irises” Makes History for Blake Shelton
The power pop duo has been enjoying immense success with their latest collaboration, “Purple Irises.” Stefani dropped the audio version of the song Feb. 9 on social media, with promises of a lyric video to come on Valentine’s Day.
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Fans fell hard for the romantic duet, and it shows. “Purple Irises” debuted this week at No. 7 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart.
This marked the 38th top 10 Country Digital Song Sales hit of Shelton’s career. With that milestone, Shelton now boasts the most top 10 hits among solo male artists of all time on that specific ranking, Forbes reported.
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton: A Match Made in Musical Heaven
Seven of Shelton’s 38 top 10 smashes reached No. 1, and two of those –“Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere” — were collaborations with Stefani.
The pair met in summer 2015 while filming season nine of The Voice. Both leaned on each other for support during their highly publicized divorces: Stefani from singer-songwriter and Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, and Shelton from fellow country superstar Miranda Lambert.
By the CMA Awards in November 2015, their relationship was official. They have been tugging at heartstrings since making their red carpet debut as a couple in February 2016 at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
The couple anounced their engagement in October 2020 and married at their ranch in Shelton’s native Oklahoma in July 2021.
Shelton helped the “Hollaback Girl” singer cement her country crossover with “Nobody but You” in January 2020. The duet topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart, marking Stefani’s first No. 1 country song.
The success of “Purple Irises” isn’t limited to the country charts. The track also ranks No. 15 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart.
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