Blake Shelton Reveals He Earned Less Than Minimum Wage In The Past After Song Controversy
Fort George G. Meade Reading Time: 4 minutes
Blake Shelton faced a bit of backlash for his song “Minimum Wage” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many called his song “tone deaf” while Blake maintains that the song has no ill intentions. In fact, he just revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that he earned minimum wage before he was a superstar country singer.
“Minimum Wage” Has A Deeper Meaning For Blake Shelton
Stephen got down to the bottom of the “Minimum Wage” controversy. He went on to ask Blake exactly what the song is about. “The song is about having not very much money sucks but having love makes that a whole lot better” the 44-year-old said. “It’s a common theme I guess in country music anyway about how tough times, they suck, but if you’re with the person that you love makes it a whole lot easier that’s what the song is about.”
Stephen asked Blake about some terrible jobs he has had in the past as he tried to break through the country music scene. “The toughest job that I hope I will ever have for the rest of my life, I roofed houses for two years” Blake confessed. “And I don’t even know if I made minimum wage to be honest with you. I made whatever they were paying a kid in Oklahoma.”
SEE ALSO: BLAKE SHELTON WILL NOT APOLOGIZE AFTER ‘MINIMUM WAGE’ BACKLASH CALLING IT ‘ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS’
Stephen also worked on houses when he was a teenager and made minimum wage which he recalls was about $3.25 at the time. This earned a shocked look from Blake as the pair bonded over doing similar work.
“And I remember when I made it I built up enough strength at one point the one time that I was in shape in my life that I could carry two bundles of shingles at one time up the ladder,” Blake said. “That was like what made me extra handy on the worksite.”
“You got a fallback position in case this music thing doesn’t turn out. You have a skill, a trade to fall back on” Stephen joked. Obviously, Blake has been a dominant force in the country music industry. He was won The Voice seven times, won countless awards since 2001 and has dominated country radio. Check out the video below to find out more about Blake’s rise to stardom.
“I pray that I’m never that hungry ever again because I just don’t think I can physically do the work. I have so much respect for those guys” Blake said humbly to finish off the interview.
The Music Video For The Song Has Just Been Released
The music video for “Minimum Wage” is a very simple live concert concept. Most of us haven’t been to a live concert since the start of the pandemic so the video definitely is refreshing and fun. Blake sings to a small live audience as a live band joins him in this video.
In an interview with CMT, Blake revealed that he actually had a second job as he waited for his big break in country music. He sang demos up until he got a record deal in 1998. “Because people assumed, ‘Oh, Blake got a record deal. We can’t hire him to do demos anymore.’ And I made $40 a demo. That was the difference in making ends meet or not, so when that went away, it really got tough. But at the same time, I knew what I wanted and I just didn’t even care” he said.
Starting out in the music industry, Blake would drive around from Oklahoma to Nashville to play gigs. He would split any money he made with the bass player that still plays with him to this day.
“And we would split up the money, just enough to basically pay for gas to come back and forth” he continued. “If we had a gig, it’s all we thought about for months. Like, ‘Man, I can’t wait until November when we get to go play that bar.'”
SEE ALSO: BLAKE SHELTON DEBUTS NEW TRACK ‘MINIMUM WAGE’ — IS IT TONE DEAF OR SWEET?
Blake’s life definitely has taken a turn from his days making less than minimum wage. He just bought a $13.2 million home with fiancé Gwen Stefani and the pair are gearing up for a wedding in the future.
