EXCLUSIVE: 'The Voice' Send-Off Johnny Gates Opens Up About Career 'Hurdles': 'I've Just Failed So Much'

Johnny Gates knows how to hang with the ups and downs of the music industry

The Voice singer, who was eliminated from the show on Monday after his coach, Gwen Stefani, opted to save Hunter Plake in the knockout round, sat down with ET's Katie Krause just ahead of elimination to answer fan questions, and open up about his years trying to break through as an artist.

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"I've just failed so much in the music industry," he confessed. "I've hit hurdles, and so I've realized I'm just so happy, and I feel honored to even be hanging out with you guys today. That's what kind of keeps me grounded."

One thing being a touring artist takes a toll on, Gates explained, is your love life.

"It's tough as a musician," he said. "It's like, you're on the road so much that sometimes it's hard to do the relationship thing, so I want to make sure that I'm fully present for it."

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"So I've been kind of focused on the music now," he added.

Thankfully, Gates has had the opportunity to spend his time on The Voice under Stefani's wing, and the crooner revealed that one thing he admires about his former coach is her ability to both maintain a band and break out with a solo career.

"Inspiring, I would say," Gates marveled of Stefani. "She has proven to me that you can come from a band and you can also have your own cool solo thing, and not have it really compromise the band at the same time. She still does No Doubt."

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"If there was a dream scenario, I would, you know, do well on The Voice, maybe do a solo album or something, and get on the road and then do another Runaway Saints [my band] thing and just try to live in both those worlds."

Despite being on Team Gwen, however, Gates did reveal he has a past with Blake Shelton, too!

"Back in the day, I lived in Nashville for like seven years and Blake and I were on the same record label," he shared. "And it was cool because when we were like, one of the new bands signed there, our label would have like a CMA party and it was like, the best CMA party in Nashville ... They would have all of the artists take a group picture together. And I somehow ended up next to Blake and he's got his -- Blake's huge."

Meanwhile, watch the video below for Stefani's makeout playlist with Shelton.

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