Music runs deep in the family of Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, and now their 16-year-old son Zuma Rossdale is making his own mark in the scene—with support coming not only from his superstar mom and stepdad but also from his father, Gavin Rossdale.
The former Voice coaches are well-known for their musical prowess, and it seems Zuma is following in their footsteps. Gavin Rossdale, frontman of rock band Bush and Gwen’s ex-husband, recently opened up to Us Weekly about his middle son’s burgeoning musical talent after Zuma took the stage at Shelton’s Ole Red Bar in Tishomingo, Oklahoma.
“Zuma’s begun recording. He’s out of control,” Rossdale gushed. “I’m not even the best singer in my house anymore.”
While Gavin’s career leans toward rock, Zuma’s musical tastes are more aligned with his stepdad Blake’s country roots. At his latest performance, Zuma paid tribute to ’90s country classics, belting out John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” and tipping his black cowboy hat to Shelton with a rendition of “Ol’ Red,” the 2001 Blake Shelton hit that inspired the name of the singer’s popular bars in Oklahoma and Nashville.
Gavin is perfectly fine with his son’s musical direction. “I’m really careful to not push. I take pride in listening to what they’re doing and not sharing anything I’m doing,” he told Us. “Yeah, ’cause it’s much more healthy.”
Though Gavin keeps his critiques light, the musical feedback flows both ways at home. When Zuma checks out what his dad is recording, he doesn’t hold back. “He’s listening to it, and he’s giving me the poo face, and he goes, ‘Uh, you’re not putting that out, are you?’” Gavin recalled, laughing. When asked if there was something wrong with the track, Zuma shot back, “‘Machinehead’ is legendary, I don’t know about that,” before leaving the room, leaving Gavin to admit with a smile, “He destroyed me, he killed me.”
On the other side, Blake Shelton isn’t the one teaching Zuma—rather, the roles are reversed. Speaking on Taste of Country Nights, Shelton revealed, “Zuma will spend about 20 minutes, him and his guitar.” The country star added with enthusiasm, “It’s not me showing him stuff, it’s him showing me stuff. ‘Have you heard this artist?’ ‘Listen to this song.’” Shelton described how this musical exchange happens almost every day, and he can’t wait to get home to hear what Zuma is working on.
As Zuma hones his craft and blends influences from both rock and country, it’s clear that his family’s musical legacy is alive and well—and that support from Gwen, Blake, and Gavin will help him find his own unique voice.