Blake Shelton Needed a ‘Kick In the A–‘ From Post Malone [INTERVIEW]

Blake Shelton says we're not here if not for Post Malone. The singer's "Pour Me a Drink" partner gave him the kick in the shorts he needed to get serious about making country music again.

The result is a 180 from his stance from several years ago, when he loudly wondered if he'd ever cut another album.

• Blake Shelton released "Texas" on Friday (Nov. 15).
• The song is his first new song in two years and his first on a new record label, BBR Music Group.
• He talked to Taste of Country Nights' Evan Paul for an interview that will run unedited on the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast on Wednesday (Nov. 20).

"It was just so different for me and kind of a departure from anything I've done," Shelton says about "Texas," a song that producer Scott Hendricks sent him earlier in the year.

The success of "Pour Me a Drink" isn't what kickstarted Shelton's next record, although it certainly didn't hurt. Simply being around Post Malone is what did it. The country veteran and former coach on The Voice described his new friend as one of the happiest, most fired up people he's ever known.

"Every single second of the day is a party for Post Malone," he shares.

"That really got me fired up again, honestly, about wanting to make a record and stick my neck back out there again ... It was the kick and the a-- that I needed to, to remind myself that I don't want to let this get away from me, you know, by waiting too long or taking time off or whatever."

Recording "Texas" — and everything else he's cut so for a new record TBA — has been a ton of fun. In fact, Shelton says that had the label not told him to wrap it up he'd still be playing with it all.

"That's why you hear — like there's a hawk screaming on that record in the intro. You can hear the Good the Bad and the Ugly whistle on the track," a joyful Blake Shelton says. "You know we messed with all kinds of things on that song because it was just so fun."

The obvious question is, if Blake Shelton and Post Malone are one and done. He says he hopes not, but concedes there's not a second collaboration in the works at the moment.

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon," he tells Evan Paul. "And I absolutely hope that's not ... the one and only Post Malone collaboration I get to have because, man, the guy truly is inspiring to be around. He's just a good dude and he's having a blast and it's infectious."