Blake Shelton wants to 'end up hooking up' with Rihanna

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Newly single Blake Shelton predicted he and singer Rihanna will "end up hooking up" during the next season of The Voice.

In an interview with Access Hollywood alongside Pharrell Williams, Shelton joked the show's newest mentor is "crazy" about him. "I was amazed by Rihanna," he told his fellow coach. "She is so funny...and she's crazy about me."

"We'll probably end up hooking up at some point," he joked as Williams raised an eyebrow. "I'm just saying."

The "BBHMM" singer will mentor all Voice coaches including Shelton, Williams, Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani as a key advisor for the talent show's ninth season. Fellow mentors include Selena Gomez, Brad Paisley, Missy Elliot and John Fogerty.

Shelton's joke comes roughly two months after he announced his divorce from singer Miranda Lambert. The couple, who had been married for about four years after six years of dating, released a statement regarding their divorce in July.

"This is not the future we envisioned and it is with heavy hearts that we move forward separately," the statement said. "We are real people, with real lives, with real families, friends and colleagues. Therefore, we kindly ask for privacy and compassion concerning this very personal matter."