Ian Flanigan and Blake Shelton Join Forces To Perform ‘Grow Up,’ on ‘The Voice’

Ian Flanigan returned to The Voice on Monday evening (May 17) for the live debut of “Grow Up,” his brand…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

May 17, 2021

8:14 pm

Ian Flanigan, Blake Shelton; Photo by Trae Patton, NBC

Ian Flanigan returned to The Voice on Monday evening (May 17) for the live debut of “Grow Up,” his brand new collaboration with his former coach, Blake Shelton.

The pair took to the stage during the live semi-finals to perform the just-released song for the first time ever. It was a full-circle moment for Flanigan, who placed in the Top 3 of The Voice Season 19 in 2020.

Co-written by famed Nashville tunesmiths Jon Nite, Chase McGill and Jessie Jo Dillon, “Grow Up” is all about living life in the moment.

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“They say we never gonna grow/ Well they might be right/ ‘Cause we’re loud, we’re alive/ And tonight we’re raisin’ something cold up/ We thought we would one day/ But hey we aint ’cause one day still ain’t showed up/ Guess we ‘re never gonna grow up,” goes the chorus.

Shelton harmonizes with Flanigan throughout the track. The newly engaged singer and father of one opened up to Music Mayhem about the chance to work with Shelton and revealed how the collab came about.

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“We reached out to see if he had any interest, and he did,” Flanigan explained. “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.”

He called the opportunity to work with Shelton an “absolute pleasure.”

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.