Season 19 finalist Ian Flanigan and Blake Shelton performed their “Grow Up” duet during NBC’s The Voice.
On Monday, May 17, the superstar pair marked the live debut of their just-released duet, just three days after its initial release. The song is Flanigan’s label debut with Reviver Records and features his coach Shelton. The New York native told Music Mayhem that the new duet “is about celebrating life, and feeling young, no matter how old you are.”
Surrounded by fog that flooded the ground, Flanigan and Shelton played acoustic guitars while singing in perfect harmony.
Watch their performance below.
.@IanFlanigan is BACK on #TheVoice stage performing with his Coach @BlakeShelton! 🙌🎶 pic.twitter.com/sOx7H8EErs
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) May 18, 2021
“We reached out to see if he had any interest, and he did,” Flanigan told Music Mayhem of the collaboration. “Blake has a history of helping previous contestants from the show and I’m so grateful for his generosity and that the timing worked out for us to do this.” Later adding, “It’s always an absolute pleasure to get to work with Blake, I’m a huge fan of his music and him as a person. He’s great to hang with, and a real pro in the studio.”
“He’s got one of those voices that just tracks so easily and sits really well in a mix right away,” Flanigan explained of Shelton. “It’s still hard to believe that this experience is happening for me, I just try to be present, and grateful in these situations. I’m always aware of what an honor it is. Blake was very generous with his time in the studio. Being such a busy guy, to cut out the time to make this happen really shows his character, and his dedication to helping other artists. I’m thankful to call him a friend.”
Ahead of the performance, Shelton gushed over Flanigan’s vocal abilities.
“The name of the show is The Voice because of singers like Ian,” Shelton said ahead of the performance. “He has such a unique voice and I always loved his song choices and you just can’t limit him to one genre. Can’t wait for y’all to see what we have in store!”
Flanigan admitted that he is “beyond grateful for any opportunity to share the stage with Blake again,” later adding, “He’s been such a huge part of my growth and this process, I can’t thank him enough. It’s also an honor to be invited back to The Voice, feels great to return to perform my own music.”
