“He’s Got the Soul of an Old Cowboy” — Blake Shelton Beams as Gwen Stefani’s Son Zuma Falls in Love With Classic Country.LC

For years, Gwen Stefani fans lovingly joked that her world was all sequins, ska, and SoCal sunshine — until Blake Shelton walked into her life and brought a little Oklahoma red dirt with him. What no one expected was that the person who’d end up embracing country music the most wouldn’t be Gwen, and wouldn’t be Blake…

It would be her son, Zuma.

At just 15 years old, Zuma Rossdale is surprising fans, family, and even himself with a passion that comes straight out of Blake’s world: traditional, old-school, boots-on-the-front-porch country music.

Not pop-country.

Not crossover hits.

Real country. George Strait country. “Check Yes or No” country. The kind Blake Shelton was raised on.

And it all started quietly — just a boy, a guitar, and a porch in rural Oklahoma.

A Voice They Didn’t Expect

According to Gwen, the transformation didn’t happen overnight.

“He used to walk past Blake’s guitars like they were museum pieces,” she joked. “Now he picks them up more than Blake does.”

The moment that stunned everyone came one evening at the ranch when Blake heard a familiar melody drifting from the porch — Zuma, alone, softly singing George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning.”

“It stopped me in my tracks,” Blake admitted. “He wasn’t copying anybody. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone. He just… felt it. He’s got the soul of an old cowboy.”

Blake wasn’t exaggerating. Family friends say Zuma’s voice — still youthful but richening with age — carries an emotional honesty that feels beyond his years.

“He doesn’t sing to perform,” one insider shared. “He sings because he feels the music.”

A Blended Family Harmonizing in a New Way

Gwen beams when she talks about it — not because she ever expected her sons to follow in musical footsteps, but because this journey has been entirely Zuma’s.

“Watching him find his voice is the greatest gift,” she said. “He isn’t trying to be Blake. He isn’t trying to be me. He’s becoming himself.”

Zuma’s bond with Blake has deepened through music. Their evenings often end with the two strumming away: Blake teaching him old Merle Haggard progressions, Zuma introducing Blake to melodies he wrote in his room.

“Music made them family,” someone close to the couple shared. “It’s brought them even closer than people realize.”

A Teen With One Foot in the Future — and One in the Past

What fascinates fans most is the irony: Zuma comes from a world of pop-punk, fashion glamour, alt-rock icons, and global pop stardom — yet he’s fully, wholeheartedly drawn to twangy steel guitars and dusty-road storytelling.

Maybe it’s because country music gives him something rare in today’s world:
simplicity, honesty, grounding.

“He’s a deep thinker,” Gwen said. “Country music gives him a way to express things he doesn’t always say out loud.”

Blake agrees. “He’s thoughtful. Sensitive. Smart. Country songs? They fit him like a glove.”

Rumors Already Swirling… Will Zuma Record?

It didn’t take long for whispers to spread. Clips of Zuma singing — allegedly recorded by friends — have circulated online, sparking speculation:

Is Blake mentoring him for a country debut?
Could Zuma be the next great country storyteller?
Will he appear on The Voice someday?

The family hasn’t confirmed anything. They haven’t denied anything either.

Blake simply laughed when asked:

“Right now, he’s just a kid who loves music. If he decides he wants more… well, he’s got a whole lot of people behind him.”

Gwen’s Full-Circle Moment

For Gwen, who grew up worlds away from Nashville, there’s an undeniable sweetness in watching her son embrace something so different — and so unexpected.

“Life is crazy,” she smiled. “If you’d told me 20 years ago that one of my kids would be singing George Strait on a porch in Oklahoma, I would’ve thought you were joking. But it’s beautiful. It’s our life now. And he’s making his own beautiful version of it.”

A New Generation of Stefani-Shelton Magic

Whether Zuma ends up recording music or simply carries country songs in his heart forever, one thing is certain:
He’s already touched the people around him.

And he’s reminding fans of something powerful — that families blend, music heals, and sometimes the next generation finds the most unexpected, beautiful paths.

As Blake put it best:

“He may not be my blood, but he’s my boy. And hearing him sing country music? Man… that hits a place I can’t even describe.”