Blake Shelton is undoubtedly one of the most famous country music stars today. However, his recently released song Minimum Wage was criticized by many fans on social media. Should the country crooner regret a song that has such tone-deaf lyrics in this critical time?
Shelton is one of the most popular singers in the United States, and his country charm is almost unmatched. His charisma in the popular music competition TV series The Voice is also beyond doubt.
Shelton dropped his new number Minimum Wage on New Year’s Eve last Thursday on NBC. He explained that it was a love song meant for his fiancée Gwen Stefani. Fans would remember that the duo got engaged in October last year after dating each other for several years.
However, there was widespread backlash for the song’s lyrics from netizens who thought it was insensitive, especially at this time when thousands of Americans have lost their jobs and cannot pay their utility bills, according to USA Today. The song’s lyric is about how a guy can feel wealthy even on minimum wage when a girl loves him truly.
Many fans felt that it was bizarre that a person who is as affluent as Shelton would hum about $7.25 as his minimum wage per hour. After all, Shelton owns an expansive ranch, multiple properties, and a huge bank balance.
That does not mean the song belittle all those people who work on meager wages. However, what irritated fans were that most country crooners today lead a lavish lifestyle but deploy topics related to common people in their songs to increase their songs’ popularity.
Blake Shelton told Billboard a few years ago that singers usually try to be politically correct in country music as they are apprehensive about upsetting people. He even attributed that being noisy helped him clinch the Voice coach's job, according to Billboard.
The country crooner feels that perhaps his being “unfiltered” on social media impressed the producers of the show. However, a section of people, including his colleagues and fans, also came out in the open to support him.
For instance, Ronnie Dunn felt that the backlash on his lyrics was because of a “misguided social issue.” Dunn debated that singing about minimum wage was not an unfair topic.
After all, country singers have to go through a lot of obstacles and ordeals to become famous and successful, and a majority of them have to pay their dues. Even Sammy Hagar had some encouraging words for Shelton after the controversy started. Shelton took to his Twitter handle to express his gratitude for both of them.
Finally, although some fans might have been upset with the lyrics of Minimum Wage, it does not look likely that Blake Shelton’s musical career will be hit by it, according to Gossip Cop.