Blake Shelton Opens Up About Powerful New Single ‘Let Him In Anyway’ and Emotional Fan Reactions [Exclusive]

Blake Shelton has had plenty of impactful songs throughout his career. With 30 No. 1 singles under his belt, he has certainly proven he knows a hit song when he hears one and his latest single, “Let Him In Anyway,” is no different. It’s a song that immediately stopped him in his tracks, and he knew it was something he wanted to record.

During an exclusive interview with Country Now backstage at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas, Shelton reflected on hearing the song for the first time, explained the early crowd reaction, and shared insight into filming the recently released music video.

A Song That Stopped Him in His Tracks

“Let Him In Anyway” was written by Zach Abend, Kyle Clark, Michael Hardy and Carson Wallace. Shelton recalls hearing the demo and instantly knowing this song hit differently.

“I Was Just Blown Away”: The First Time He Heard ‘Let Him In Anyway’

“The first time I heard the song… Katie at my record label sent it over to me and I was just blown away by it. At one point I thought, ‘She’s sending me this song, can I cut this or is this like the next big artist they’re about to release?’ And I was like, ‘But that sounds like HARDY on that demo.’ And it turns out obviously it was,” he explained.

The Oklahoma native recalled feeling “floored” by the message of the deeply emotional song, which explores grief, keeping faith, and the hope for mercy after losing someone you love. In the song, the narrator sends a plea to God, asking to let his friend into heaven anyway, despite an imperfect life.

As Shelton points out, the song says something that hasn’t been said, especially in this way, before.

“I love to be able to record a song that’s kind of an area, a subject that I haven’t covered yet. I mean, when you’ve been doing this a hundred years like I have, it’s hard to find something you haven’t said before and so this is definitely something that hasn’t been said. I don’t know that it’s ever been said in any song that I’ve ever heard before.”

Early Live Performances Spark Emotional Crowd Reactions

“Let Him In Anyway” is featured on Shelton’s latest album, For Recreational Use Only. While it is steadily climbing the charts at country radio, Shelton has already begun performing it live during his shows and admits the audience reaction has reminded him of the emotional response to his 2002 hit “The Baby.”

“The reaction in the show is exciting right now because for the most part, people at the show still haven’t heard it yet. It’s still pretty much a baby song and so you get to really see people’s first initial reaction to it and it’s fun to see these guys that are kind of these stoic dudes sitting by their wives that are bored, unaffected. ‘Why did you drag me to this show?’ By the end of the song they were crying and like looking at the ground, having to get up and walk around for a minute and that’s when you know man, we’ve got something important here because even those guys can’t pretend like they don’t care.”

This also marks one of the first times Shelton has openly sung about faith in this way, something he approached with his trademark humor.

“Well, I’m getting older and I’m going to die soon so I mean you better start figuring this stuff out. Might as well put it in my songs. It’s time to start getting right!”

Music Video Filmed in a Stunning Church Near Pasadena, California

Shelton paired “Let Him In Anyway” with a music video filmed in a beautiful church setting near Pasadena, California. In the visual, sunlight pours through stained glass windows while dimly lit lanterns hang above, as Shelton appears seated in the pews and also shown in the center of the church with a guitar in hand. 

While he admits music videos are no longer his favorite part of the process, he says this one stands out as something special.

“Anytime you see me in a video and you think, man, he’s really into it or whatever, I hate filming videos. I mean, I just do not enjoy the process anymore. It used to be like super exciting like ‘I’m going to make a music video!’ Now I’m like, ‘Do we really need to do a video?’

“It’s a beautiful church though, really. On a serious note, it was absolutely beautiful and it was a neat moment,” he continued. “I mean, when I walked in there, I did have that attitude of, ‘Oh my God, music video.’ And then I walked in and they had the lights coming through the stained glass and it felt like I was walking into a dream or something. It was really neat in there.”

Fans can catch Shelton performing “Let Him In Anyway” and plenty of his 30 No. 1 hits in Las Vegas on the remaining dates of his Live in Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. He’s also scheduled to perform at CMA Fest in early June.