Adam Levine: Blake Shelton "ruined" me on The Voice

On The Voice: Battle of Champions, Adam Levine says he’s had to rethink his approach to country singers. For years, country artists who made it through the Blind Auditions tended to end up on Blake Shelton’s team, and even after Shelton left they often gravitated toward Reba McEntire, Kelsea Ballerini or other country coaches.

That dynamic showed up again on the Season 29 premiere when 14-year-old AJ Robinson sang Lainey Wilson’s "Watermelon Moonshine" with a guitar and a cowboy hat. Only John Legend turned his chair, and Levine explained why he didn’t push his button: "Blake Shelton has ruined me.

He wounded me deep down in my soul," he said, blaming Shelton for instilling in him an automatic fear of fighting for country artists. Legend added that he was "scarred from many years of trying to get a country Artist on my team…not that I’m bitter!" and promised to help Robinson "do real well on this show." Shelton has moved back to focusing on his music career.

adam levine, blake shelton, the voice, john legend, aj robinson, lainey wilson, watermelon moonshine, blind auditions, country artists, season 29