Blake Shelton is planning the release of his first full-length album since 2017, with Body Language due out May 21 via longtime label home Warner Music Nashville. Among the project’s 12 tracks are the No. 1 duet “Happy Anywhere” (featuring fiancée Gwen Stefani) and current hit “Minimum Wage.”

“We’ve been working on this album on and off for two years now, and I’m very proud of what we have put together,” said Shelton. “We certainly had some unique challenges with the pandemic, but we also had a lot of fun. We explored new sounds while making sure to get in some classic country. I’m also thrilled to have my buddies The Swon Brothers featured on the title track as both co-writers and vocalists. Can’t wait for y’all to hear it!”

Over the course of his career Shelton has released 11 acclaimed albums, the last four of which have debuted at No. 1 on the country charts. Since 2002, these records have spawned an almost unparalleled 28 chart-topping singles. The superstar has notched more than five billion on-demand streams, and 11 million career album sales in the U.S.

Shelton’s successful career dates back to his No. 1 debut single, “Austin.” April 16, 2021 will mark the 20th anniversary of the day he released the song and he’s commemorating the occasion with a limited edition 7″ vinyl on his website featuring “Austin” on the A-side and “Problems At Home” on the B-side, just like the original single.

Body Language Track Listing
1.    Minimum Wage (Nicolle Galyon, Jesse Frasure, Corey Crowder)
2.    Body Language (feat. The Swon Brothers) (Colton Swon, Zach Swon, Matt McGinn, Ryan Beaver)
3.    Happy Anywhere (feat. Gwen Stefani) (Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne, Matt Jenkins)
4.    Now I Don’t (Jessi Alexander, Alysa Vanderheym, Michael Hardy)
5.    Monday Mornin’ Missin’ You (Jessi Alexander, Deric Ruttan, Josh Thompson)
6.    Corn (Craig Wiseman, Matt Dragstrem, Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson)
7.    Makin’ It Up As You Go (Brad Tursi, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
8.    Whatcha Doin’ Tomorrow (Dallas Davidson, Kyle Fishman, Casey Beathard)
9.    The Girl Can’t Help It (Ben Hayslip, Josh Osborne, Mark Holman)
10.  The Flow (Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne)
11.  Neon Time (Jaron Boyer, Michael Tyler, Ben West)
12.  Bible Verses (Joe Fox, Andrew Peebles, Brett Sheroky)

Kristen Johns, Nathan Osher, Andrew Mitchell

The Mechanical Licensing Collective has added three new members to its leadership team. Kristen Johns has joined the organization as Chief Legal Officer, Nathan Osher has been named Assistant General Counsel—Publisher Relations, and Andrew Mitchell has joined the team as Head of Analytics and Automation. All three joined the MLC earlier this month and will be based in Nashville.

“I am thrilled to welcome Kristen, Nathan and Andrew to The MLC’s growing team,” said Kris Ahrend, The MLC’s CEO. “Each of them possesses many years of experience in their respective areas of expertise, which will enable them to begin contributing immediately to the important work we are doing. All three are fully committed to serving our members and fulfilling our important mission to ensure that our members are paid properly.”

Johns will lead the organization’s strategic legal affairs, manage the statutory blanket licensing process for digital service providers, and oversee compliance with statutory obligations. An experienced intellectual property and technology lawyer, she comes to The MLC from Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP in Nashville, where she was a partner. During her tenure at Waller, she advised clients on a variety of IP-related issues, including data security, privacy laws, and emerging technologies. She also helped found and lead Tokenize Tennessee, a Nashville-based organization dedicated to the development of blockchain-based businesses in Tennessee. Prior to joining Waller, Johns served as General Counsel for a technology start-up and in-house Counsel for a healthcare IT company. She holds a J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law and a B.S. in Engineering Science from Vanderbilt University.

Osher will serve as The MLC’s primary in-house expert on publishing and copyright issues, and will also oversee the management and resolution of claims and litigation-related matters. An entertainment attorney and executive for more than 20 years, Osher has extensive experience in music publishing, and he has counseled clients on a variety of matters related to intellectual property rights, contracts, licensing and litigation. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Legal & Business Affairs for Warner Chappell Music, Inc., and was previously the General Counsel and Vice President of Business Affairs at Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. Osher holds a J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles and earned a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University.

In his new position Mitchell will lead The MLC’s analytics and automation activities, oversee the design and implementation of business intelligence reporting for The MLC’s internal teams, and develop strategies and tools for analyzing the usage reporting data from DSPs. He will also manage The MLC’s manual sound recording and musical works matching processes. Mitchell has more than 15 years of experience in operations, analytics, business intelligence, automation, process improvement, lean six sigma and global business transformation. He comes to The MLC from Warner Music Group, where he was the Vice President of Analytics & Process Automation, and previously spent a decade working in financial planning and analysis for Ingram Content Group. Mitchell graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a B.S. in Business and holds an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, where he graduated at the top of his class.