Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani Drive ACM Awards Audience Wild With “Purple Irises” Performance

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Fans fell hard when Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani dropped their latest team effort, “Purple Irises,” back in February. The lyrics read like a timeline of the musical power couple’s relationship:  No, I never knew a love like this / Now we’re picking / Purple irises. So when news broke of the pair’s joint performance at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, excitement reignited across social media. And Shelton and Stefani certainly delivered during Thursday’s (May 16) ceremony.

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Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani Deliver Stunning ACM Performance

Excitement was in the air as Blake and Gwen took the stage together at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. It wasn’t the couple’s first time performing the tune side by side in front of an audience. Still, every bit of the love was there.

The “Rich Girl” singer dazzled in a glittering purple number. Stained-glass images of purple irises reinforced the theme behind the couple, who barely took their eyes off one another as they performed.

Gwen Stefani is Returning to ‘The Voice’

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani hold a special place in The Voice lore. The “Ol’ Red” singer was an instant fan favorite when the singing reality competition show debuted in 2011. After 23 seasons as a coach, Shelton finally hung up his cowboy hat — but not before he and Gwen had begun writing their love story.

The pair first met in 2014, when the former No Doubt frontwoman joined season 7’s coaching panel. Friendship quickly blossomed into romance, and by 2020, they were engaged. In 2021, they married at the “God’s Country” singer’s Oklahoma ranch.

Viewers loved watching their relationship flourish on The Voice. So many were disappointed when Shelton departed the show in May 2023. Stefani’s exit the same year was a double whammy for many fans.

However, Blake and Gwen diehards recently received a bit of good news. On Monday (May 13), The Voice revealed that the “Hollaback Girl” singer will make her coaching return in the fall for season 26. She will reunite with season 25 coach Reba McEntire. The two served as coaches together during Reba’s season 24 debut.

[RELATED: ‘The Voice’ Fans React to Season 26 Coaches Lineup Featuring Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, and More

Rap legend Snoop Dogg and pop crooner Michael Buble will round out the season 26 coaching roster.

Featured image by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive

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