Blake Shelton took home an award at the first-ever People's Choice Country Awards on Sept. 28, and his reaction proves exactly why country fans love him. Shelton won the Social Country Star award at the fan-voted show, which recognizes an artist with social media content that fans enjoy. The singer was on hand to accept the award, but upon taking the stage, he admitted that he never anticipated accepting an award that has to do with social media.
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"Wow," Shelton said as he walked to the microphone. "I moved to Nashville in 1994. And man, I had a lot of dreams. This was not one of them!"
He also admitted that he wasn't quite sure what he was accepting but was happy to take home the trophy anyway.
"I don't even know what this means, but if the fans want me to have it, I'm damn well gonna put it on my mantle," he said. "Thank you so much, country music fans."
As he walked away, the reason for the award seemed to come back to him.
"That's right, social media," he said, before walking offstage.
Shelton entered the People's Choice Country Awards with three nominations: He was also nominated for Male Artist of the Year and Concert Tour of 2023. Shelton also honored Toby Keith with the Country Icon Award at the show. He performed a rendition of Keith's "Who's Your Daddy" as part of the tribute, and he shared a funny memory about Keith from when he was just starting out in the business.
"I remember one night after an award show. ... Toby had been up for four or five awards, and, man, he didn't win crap that night," Shelton said. "I was talking to him that night. ... I said, 'Man, Toby, if I ever make it big enough and I get nominated for some awards, I hope it's against you.'"
Shelton then shared Keith's quick and witty response:
"He said, 'You know why I brought you out on tour with me? I want to prove to this industry that I don't need an opening act.'"
