As the clock struck midnight on March 14, 2025, country superstar Blake Shelton solved a mystery his fans had been trying to figure out for three days. The former coach on “The Voice” revealed that his cryptic social media posts were clues to his big announcement: he’ll release his first album in four years on May 9, called “For Recreational Use Only.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new album out,” he captioned a photo of the album cover, “so I’m thrilled to share that ‘For Recreational Use Only’ will be out May 9th!!!!”
According to a press release issued overnight, “For Recreational Use Only” will be his first album on his new record label, BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville. In addition to including his current top 10 country hit, “Texas,” the second single on the album was released as a surprise for fans with the news of his upcoming album.
Blake Shelton Surprises Fans With Releases of New Single ‘Let Him In Anyway’
As part of the overnight announcement, Shelton released his second single from the new album, called “Let Him In Anyway,” co-written by fellow country star HARDY. The song was described by his record label as an “emotionally gripping ballad” about a man “hoping for divine forgiveness for a lost friend who was just shy of redemption.”
In a statement, Shelton said the tune “is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever had the chance to record. Hardy is a co-writer and a friend, and I’ve never heard a song like this before. When I first listened to it, I knew it was something special. It’s an honor to bring it to life, and I’m incredibly proud of the record we made.”
One fan who listened immediately to the tune overnight wrote, “i just bawled my eyes out hearing this song i can’t wait for the album!!!!!”
“For Recreational Use Only” has 12 tracks with guest appearances by country legend John Anderson, his longtime friend and current tourmate Craig Morgan, and his wife — pop star and “The Voice” coach Gwen Stefani.
The track list, provided by BBR, is as follows:
1. Stay Country or Die Tryin’
2. Texas
3. Hangin’ On (feat. Gwen Stefani)
4. Strangers
5. Let Him In Anyway
6. Heaven Sweet Home (feat. Craig Morgan)
7. Life’s Been Comin’ Too Fast
8. Don’t Mississippi
9. All of My Love
10. Cold Can
11. The Keys
12. Years (feat. John Anderson)
Fans Were Worried Blake Shelton Had Been Hacked When He Was Cryptically Teasing New Album
Shelton’s album announcement solves a mystery that whipped fans into a frenzy during the previous three days, as he shared three cryptic posts on social media. The first, on March 11, was plain orange with no words and many fans grew concerned, commenting that they wondered what was going on.
On the second day, the orange background featured the letters “FRUO” in white. Fans guessed it meant everything from a new beer to a new baby for him and Stefani.
On the third day, the letters spelled out the album name — “For Recreational Use Only” — and fans grew more concerned, with one writing, “Blake Shelton what is this? What is going on with you???”
Another theorized Shelton had been hacked, while someone else wrote, “Those words were definitely not on my bingo card 😂 but I’m really excited to see what’s coming 👀👀👀”
Many expressed huge relief that the orange posts were teasing an album, including one who wrote, “I KNEW IT A NEW ALBUM!!!!!im so so so so excited!!!!😍 let’s gooooo!👏🔥”
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Blake Shelton Makes Surprise Overnight Announcement: ‘Incredibly Proud’