Blake Shelton Ready To Retire? ‘The Voice’ Star Reveals His Next Album May Be His Last

Is Blake Shelton thinking about retiring from the world of country music? The Voice star recently joked about making a final album and hanging up his cowboy hat for good. Could his next album be his last?

According to Fox News, Shelton joked about retiring when talking to the media with Alicia Keys. “I mean, that last album I made was gonna be my last – this next album I’m making is probably gonna be my last album,” the country star shared. “So I really gotta decide what I wanna do.”

Shelton is known for joking around so it isn’t clear if was being sarcastic or not. The comments even confused Keys, who asked Shelton why he would even want to record a final album and walk away from music.

“Why though?” she questioned. “Why would you ever have a last record?”

Shelton naturally had an answer: “And this is probably my last season of this show. I don’t do entertainment anymore, kids.”

The country crooner’s rep has since come forward and confirmed that he was joking about retiring. Shelton has been plagued by rumors of him quitting The Voice in the coming season, so it’s possible that he was only poking fun at all the reports. Even still, he hasn’t cleared up his comments, leaving his future on the show in question.

As far as Keys is concerned, Sounds Like Nashville reports that she doesn’t believe Shelton is ready to retire. She does, however, think Blake Shelton could walk away from the entertainment world and live out a happy life on his farm in Oklahoma.

“I could see you not doing entertainment though, actually,” she stated in the same interview. “Just gettin’ up early, weedin’ and hoein’.”

It’s hard to say whether or not Shelton is contemplating stepping away from music. The award winning singer just released a successful album and it doesn’t appear like he is slowing down anytime soon. He’s also been a part of The Voice since the first season and is one reason why the show has been so successful over the years. His departure would certainly be a major hit to the singing competition, especially given how his girlfriend Gwen Stefani just rejoined the show this season.

Speaking of Stefani, ET Online reports that the No Doubt alum is finally getting over a ruptured eardrum. Stefani’s hearing problems began during a flight to Las Vegas. The incident prompted her to cancel her concert at the 21st Keep Memory Alive Power of Love Gala.

Fortunately, Shelton revealed that Stefani is feeling better after getting a few days of rest. She’s even reached the point where she can hear again, which is definitely a good sign moving forward.

“She’s getting better,” Shelton explained. “Something like that is just slow, when you pop-blow your eardrum out, I don’t even know how that happens. But, she says she can hear now.”

Shelton added that Stefani is feeling good enough to sing on the upcoming episode of The Voice. “She’ll be all right,” he said. “She’ll be singing tomorrow [on The Voice]. She’s tough.”

This past weekend, Stefani was spotted at her two boys’ first communion. The singer shared a few photos of the event on social media, which featured several members of her family, including her brother Todd with his wife Jennifer. Todd’s daughter was also in the family photo and wore a veil for the event.

Stefani has not said anything about her ruptured eardrum or when she’ll be back to 100 percent.

Fans can watch Shelton and Stefani in action when new episodes of The Voice air Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.

Tell us! Do you think that Blake Shelton is really ready to retire? Let us know in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images]