Blake Shelton Performs At CMT Music Awards, Gwen Stefani Cheers On Social Media
Country music singer Blake Shelton took to the stage on Wednesday at this year’s CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, to perform “Every Time I Hear That Song,” the fifth single from his tenth studio album, If I’m Honest. Girlfriend Gwen Stefani was not there in person to cheer him on, but she took to social media to show support.
Regardless of the reason why Stefani, 47, missed Shelton’s big night at the CMT Awards this year, it was clear that she was with him in spirit. She stayed at home during the June 7 award show and tuned in on TV to watch Shelton, 40, perform in Nashville, with his ex-wife Miranda Lambert in the audience.
Stefani posted to Instagram a video of herself watching the show and cheering Blake on. She also posted to Instagram a photo of herself with Shelton and a caption affirming that she was supporting him from home.
“Watching this guy @blakeshelton #cmtawards gx,” her Instagram post said.
Some fans claimed they noticed that Stefani did not look happy watching Shelton’s performance from afar and singing along with him. Hollywood Life had reported that a source said Shelton’s ex-wife Lambert had hoped that Stefani would stay away from Nashville.
Shelton’s choice of a song to serenade an audience that included his ex-wife Miranda Lambert only helped to make the situation more awkward. His hit single “Every Time I Hear a Song” is widely assumed to be about Lambert, although he has never admitted it to be true.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVD0eOqlRvM/
But the joke might actually have been on sources claiming that “Every Time I Hear a Song” is about Lambert because Shelton gave a stunning performance that could only have been a loving tribute to Gwen.
A source had told Hollywood Life that Stefani was not concerned about Shelton running into his ex-wife Miranda Lambert at the show.
“Gwen couldn’t care less if Blake runs into Miranda at the CMT Awards or anywhere else,” the source said. “She’s never been so completely secure in a relationship before. Blake makes her feel like a queen, so he could literally be surrounded by gorgeous women and she wouldn’t mind.”
Stefani’s absence at the 2017 CMT Music Awards comes after the pair stole the show at last month’s Billboard Music Awards (BBMA). Before his acceptance speech for the Billboard Music Award for Top Country Artist, Shelton had shared a congratulatory kiss with Stefani who was in the audience to give support.
Blake Shelton Performs at the CMT Music Awards as Girlfriend Gwen Stefani Supports Him from Afar https://t.co/TyaC5oOSFf via @people
— @Isadora RamosHopekookArmy??? (@LoverBS28) June 8, 2017
“Wow! That was pretty cool. I had a good feeling,” he said during his acceptance speech. “I felt like I was the luckiest guy in the room anyway because Gwen is here with me, so I had a good feeling about it.”
Ahead of his big night at the CMT Music Awards, Shelton had spoken with Today show’s Hoda Kotb, and gushed over Stefani, saying “she is my best friend.”
He added that he was “real good with” Stefani and that he hoped “she’s good with me!”
“We’re just content and happy and it’s just… it’s an incredible feeling.”
Yeah @blakeshelton!! Made the best performance list of #CMTawards!! #killingit https://t.co/IZOuQBwoX7
— Mia Johnson (@MiaJohnson517) June 8, 2017
He told Kotb that he loved hanging out with his “best friend” Stefani.
“Our hobby is just hanging out together, you know?” he said. “She’s my best friend.”
Judging from Shelton’s comments, the love is still strong after about a year and a half of dating, and Kotb saw evidence of it in Shelton’s eyes when he spoke about Stefani.
“You know what happened?” she said. “Your eyes went really soft when you said it… because it’s real.”
The 40-year-old country music star had earlier betrayed an ambivalence toward Twitter while presenting the Social Superstar trophy to Keith Urban.
“Social media is an incredible way for artists to connect with their fans. Or, it can get you fired,” he joked. “It’s kind of a double-edged sword fight. It used to be that country artists could get in trouble by breaking the law. Now, you gotta worry about spelling and having opinions, hashtag suck it.”
[Featured Image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images]