Blake Shelton is starting 2021 on a low note.
During NBC's New Year's Eve TV special hosted by Carson Daly and more, the Voice coach performed the song "Minimum Wage," a tune dedicated to fiancée Gwen Stefani. The single includes lyrics like "Girl, your love can make a man feel rich on minimum wage," and, "Girl, your love is money, your love is money."
Considering the United States is in the middle of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has left millions unemployed and food banks strained, the performance left a foul taste in many mouths.
As one person on Twitter put it, "blake shelton singing 'your love could make a man feel rich on minimum wage' just cements the fact that rich people have absolutely no f--king clue."
Another person added, "Does anyone else find Blake Shelton's 'Minimum Wage' song to be incredibly tone deaf to our country's current state?"
The country artist has yet to address the backlash over the song, which is unreleased.
Despite this recent hiccup, Blake is hoping that 2021 will be a better year. He wrote on Twitter, "2021.. please... for the love of God be good to us! Happy New Year y'all!"
According to Blake, he's already feeling positive about the new year thanks to his fiancée, who released her new song "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" on Jan. 1. The television personality joked that 2021 is "better already" thanks to Gwen and her nostalgia-inducing music video, in which she revisited her many different looks from over the years, including her punk-rock phase.
(NBC and E! are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)