Blake Shelton canceled a $30 million contract with Country Music Television
Although Shelton would secure a contract with Giant Records, it would be April 2001 before his first single was released. Originally titled "If This Is Austin," the song was penned by relative newcomers David Kent and Kirsti Manna, neither of whom had yet scored a major hit at the time. Manna’s previous claim to fame was as host of a children’s TV series called Kirsti’s Manor, while Kent’s "Beyond the Blue" was a 1995 album cut for Martina McBride.