Blake Shelton + Gwen Stefani Debut ‘Purple Irises’ Live on Super Bowl Sunday [Watch]
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani made their return to the stage on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 11), performing the live debut of their new duet, "Purple Irises."
Their performance was part of the TikTok Tailgate stage, which was held at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium before the official kickoff time of Super Bowl LVIII. It was Shelton and Stefani's first time performing their new single for a crowd, just two days after dropping the studio version on Friday (Feb. 9).
"Purple Irises" appears to be part of Stefani's next album cycle, with Shelton as the featured guest, and its sound falls closer to the riffy, ska-informed pop that fans know and love from her music.
Of course, anything that Shelton touches will retain a little country twang, thanks to his acoustic guitarwork and unmistakable vocals — and Stefani nodded to her new country influence, too, wearing a fringed jacket onstage for the TikTok Tailgate performance.
It's no surprise that Shelton and Stefani's next joint effort is a love song about flowers: The husband-and-wife team have spoken publicly about their love of gardening, a clear metaphor for the lyrics of "Purple Irises."
"'Purple Irises' is a song that comes from the idea that when you plant something, you are planting hope and watching love grow," Stefani explained when the song came out. "Weathering all the different seasons of growth. We are in this together, we planted the seeds together and we are growing together."
- Shelton and Stefani married in July 2021 at a chapel on Shelton's Oklahoma property, eight months after getting engaged at the same spot.
- They've released two country chart-topping duets to date, "Happy Anywhere" and "Nobody But You."
- A music video for "Purple Irises" is set to drop on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14).