LOS ANGELES - Blake Shelton was named Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine, a first for any country singer, prompting "The Voice" judge to shake off his shyness about his looks.

"I've been ugly my whole life," Shelton, 41, said in a statement on Wednesday. "If I can be sexy for a year, I'm taking it!"

Oklahoma native Shelton spent a decade in country music before his popularity surged in 2011 as the wise-cracking judge and mentor to aspiring singers on NBC's reality talent competition "The Voice." His most recent album, "Texoma Shore," was released earlier this month.

Shelton told People he could not wait to tease his fellow "Voice" judge and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine with his Sexiest Man title, which Levine won in 2013.

"I'm not going to treat this like Hugh Jackman or one of those guys who's humble about it. People are going to hate me over this," Shelton joked.

The singer told People that while he tries to stay in shape and eat healthy, he does have a weakness for snacks such as jalapeno poppers and pickles, especially when he is home in Oklahoma.

Shelton was formerly married to country singer Miranda Lambert and has been dating pop singer Gwen Stefani for the past two years. He told People that Stefani had encouraged him to accept the title of Sexiest Man Alive.

Previous title holders include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Ryan Reynolds and David Beckham. - Reuters