Country singer Ian Flanigan on Blake Shelton and life lessons learned: 'Be yourself, man'

foxnews.com:

Nashville-based country music singer/songwriter Ian Flanigan — a finalist on "The Voice Season 19" — is the creative force behind the current single, "Grow Up," featuring Blake Shelton.

It's had over 2 million streams so far and that number is growing rapidly. But that's only a piece of his personal success story — which, like most musicians' early years, has had its share of bountiful bumps and interesting struggles earlier on.  "I'm focused on working really hard and staying on track." At next month's CMA Fest, Flanigan will be among the hundreds of performers in downtown Nashville; the festival returns this year following a two-year pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ian Flanigan grew up in Saugerties, N.Y. and is today based in Nashville. He talked to Fox News Digital about his career so far, his life — and what he learned from star Blake Shelton.  (Nightcap Entertainment) In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Flanigan — born in upstate New York and today based in Nashville — said, "I feel really great about where I am now and about the team I have in place, and I'm focused on working really hard and staying on track." Here are highlights of a Fox News Digital interview with Flanigan about his role models, growing up in New York, life lessons learned — and much more. ‘How Blake Shelton saved me’ "When I first got on ‘The Voice,’ I recognized that I was with some of the best singers on the planet — so I really wasn't planning necessarily to make it to the finale or anything," said Flanigan.

Blake Shelton, said Flanigan, "saved me a few times for the show. He was the only one who turned around in the beginning." Flanigan also said about Shelton, "He gave me a lot of great insight.