BLAKE SHELTON

Life and love in quarantine

Not every couple can be together 24/7, but Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani wouldn’t have it any other way. Over the last several months during the coronavirus pandemic, the entertainers have been holed up with loved ones – including Stefani’s kids Kingston, 14, Zuma, 11, and Apollo, 6 – at the country singer’s cherished ranch in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. “The simple pleasure of being together in one place for an extended period of time has been a real gift,” says Shelton, 44, who will soon be heading back to Los Angeles with Stefani, 50, to shoot the upcoming season of NBC’s The Voice with fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson and John Legend. “We cook, we clean, we ride four-wheelers and just enjoy being with each other and with family.” And with their new duet ‘Happy Anywhere’ (out now), the couple – who are gearing up to celebrate their fifth anniversary in November – are sharing their bliss with fans. Here, the singer opens up about shooting their down-home music video while social distancing, reuniting with his Voice family and falling more in love with Stefani every day. ‘Happy Anywhere’ is all about the fact that it’s who you’re with that makes you happy, not where you are. How has that come into play in your own life, being an Oklahoma boy in love with a California girl?

Like you said, an Okie boy and a California girl look on paper like an unlikely match, but what matters is she’s a great human being. She’s the most understanding, kind-hearted person I’ve ever met. I learn something from her every day.

This is your fourth duet together. What made you want to have Gwen sing on this song?

Well, ‘Nobody but You’ was a big song for us, but we actually recorded ‘Happy Anywhere’ before that. We were waiting for the right time to release it, and I knew that time was now. We’re all still socially distancing, so there’s no better time to be happy anywhere with the person or people you love. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are. As long as you’re with them, you’re happy.

What was the most fun part about shooting this video together while in quarantine?

The video is just our life. There was a camera shooting the things we do every day. We make biscuits, we fish, we sing together, spend time with family … just a day in life!

What are you most looking forward to about getting back to LA to shoot the next season of The Voice together?

There’s nothing like the in-person camaraderie with the other coaches, and it’s more fun to give them crap in that live setting. You make a lot of friends on-set, and I’m looking forward to getting back to that big extended family. •

“Since I met you, I swear I could be happy anywhere,” sings Shelton (with Stefani on The Voice in 2019 and, below, in the ‘Happy Anywhere’ music video). LOW-KEY LOVE

In March the stars struck a pose in matching attire while sheltering at Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch. COUPLES CAMO

SINGING FOR A CAUSE They performed their love song ‘Nobody but You’ virtually on Red Nose Day in May to help raise funds for children living in poverty.

GIRLFRIEND – AND HAIRSTYLIST! Stefani shaved stripes into Shelton’s mullet in March.

LIFE WITH GWEN’S BOYS On May 26 Stefani (with Kingston, Shelton, Apollo and Zuma in April 2019) marked Kingston’s 14th birthday with a touching tribute – and a video showing Shelton showering her oldest son with kisses. “Thank u God for making me HIS MAMMA,” she wrote on Instagram.