Dan + Shay Reveal They Almost Broke Up In New Video
Dan + Shay released a video called “The Drive,” where the two drive around and talk. And they dropped a pretty big revelation: that they almost broke up after their…
Dan + Shay released a video called "The Drive," where the two drive around and talk. And they dropped a pretty big revelation: that they almost broke up after their 2019 Arena tour. The tour lasted nearly two years after left them feeling burnt out.
Dan Smyers starts off the video where the two are driving alone together on a white vintage Ford Bronco, "I was in, like, the lowest low of my entire life. I came off the road, and I was like, 'Man, I f---ing hate music. I'm ready to quit.'"
Shay says, "I could feel the separation, and I think there were little things between you and me that we never talked about. It was affecting everything. Not just our band. Like, my marriage, everything. I was in a really dark place."
Then words appear on the screen that explains, "In March of 2022, after not speaking for four months, Dan + Shay met to discuss the future of the band."
Smyers says, "Whether we break up and we hug it out and say 'Man, this has been the best ten years of my life,' or we say, 'Man, this is a launching-off point, this is a new beginning, this is a chance for a whole new outlook on life.'" He then explains that after COVID it was time for the guys to access their career and "step back" noting that they didn't take the time to appreciate the time they spent in their careers, which included several Grammy wins. He said that he was ignoring his marriage, family, and friends, admitting, "I completely burnt myself out. Entirely burnt me out."
Mooney agrees, adding that he focused on the group's career responsibilities, which left him feeling unhappy. Shay said of the tour, "I was hanging so much of my happiness on the success of that arena tour. Even when it was successful, I got to that show, and then we would leave mad about something stupid. It was because we put so much weight on that moment when it was over; what a downer."
Mooney went on to say he drank too much during that time and was feeling sorry for himself. He said, "I was drinking a lot, so those highs became really high, and the lows became really, really low."
RELATED: WATCH: Dan + Shay Sing Backstage For Fan As She Proposes
Dan recalled when the guys got together to try and solve their unhappiness, saying, "The moment when we talked it out, that night was so healthy, and that moment changed it all. It was a big turning point. It was us saying to each other, 'Look, I'm willing to fight for this."
He added, "The thing that filled my cup the most was being in a room with you, making music together. One of the most important things that's ever happened in my life was Dan + Shay. If we're gonna keep going forever, let's get ourselves right. Let's have a gut check."
Shay says, "We love this band; it has been our life. It matters to me." He adds, "It's amazing to know now that we found that joy that we were talking about."
Smyers says, "I can feel the closeness of our relationship and our friendship when I listen back to the music. We are, by far, a million times, the closest we've ever been. For so many reasons. But because we worked at it. That makes what we're doing now infinitely sustainable. I could do this the rest of my life with you."
The duo then teased that they have been working on new music with a release to come soon. They end the video by saying that they love and are proud of each other.
See that video here.
Dan + Shay is back after taking some time away to regroup. They are set to be the first duo to be coaches on NBC's The Voice when Season 25 of the show premieres in the Spring of 2024. The new season will also include Reba McEntire in a coach's chair.
They also recently announced their forthcoming fifth studio album, Bigger Houses, co-produced by Dan Smyers and set to release worldwide on September 15 via Warner Music Nashville.
Dan Smyers said of the duo's fifth album, "Some of our records have been more pop- or hip-hop/R&B-infused, but on this record, I wanted to make tracks that we could hop up at any bar anywhere with our live band and play the songs as they were recorded."
He added, "Ultimately, this music, this whole album, is something that I'll be able to look back on in a decade or two and be really proud of the way it turned out." This comes shortly after the revelation that the successful duo almost broke up. But it seems they are pretty happy lately: at a recent show, they both took their shirts off, showing off the results of their fitness routines.
Bigger Houses Tracklisting
1. Breakin' Up With a Broken Heart - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley
2. Save Me The Trouble - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Ashley Gorley, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds
3. Heartbreak On The Map - Dan Smyers, Jimmy Robbins, Ernest Keith Smith
4. Always Gonna Be - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Ashley Gorley, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds
5. For The Both of Us - Dan Smyers, Andy Albert, Jordan Reynolds
6. Then Again - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert, Lori McKenna, Jordan Reynolds
7. Heaven + Back - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Matt Dragstrem, Josh Thompson
8. What Took You So Long - Dan Smyers, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds, Jimmy Robbins
9. Missing Someone - Trannie Anderson, Adam Doleac, Dylan Guthro, Gordie Sampson
10. We Should Get Married - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Andy Albert
11. Neon Cowgirl - Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Zach Crowell, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ashley Gorley
12. Bigger Houses - Dan Smyers, Andy Albert, Jordan Minton, Jordan Reynolds
The duo are working on their comeback after an early career that included a handful of Grammy Award wins and a huge tour. As Dan celebrates his 36th birthday today (8/16), we take a look at 11 songs that brought the duo to country music superstardom.
RELATED: Dan + Shay Reveal They Almost Broke Up In New Video
11. "Nothin' Like You" (2015)
WB"Nothin' Like You" is from the duo’s debut album, ‘Where It All Began.’ The guys co-wrote the song and it became their first number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
10. "Good Things" (2021)
WBThe fourth single from their fourth album – which was also called ‘Good Things’ (2021). The song looks at the positive side of life and gives some comfort as the world recovers from the 2020 pandemic.
9. "19 You + Me" (2013)
WBReleased in October 2013, it was Dan + Shay's debut single and was co-written by both of them. It's a great tune that introduced us to these guys. Fun fact: they met at a Nashville party. See, it’s worth going out, you never know who you’ll meet!
8." From the Ground Up" (2016)
WBInspired by the love shared by the duo member's respective grandparents, the song was written shortly after Dan lost his grandfather and while Shay's was in the hospital. The duo called it "the most special song we've ever written."
7. "Glad You Exist" (2021)
WBDan Smyers told the press that he had the phrase "glad you exist" to be appreciative of his wife Abby Smyers and to be grateful that she is living in the same time as him. He brought it to Shay Mooney, and the two were thinking of ideas, wanting to create a gratitude song about their friends, family, and fans.
6. "All to Myself" (2019)
WBThe video for the song was released in April 2019. Using the theme of shadows, it shows the duo performing the song in a dark room, while shadows (which are pieces of paper with the song's lyrics cut into them) appear on a wall in the same room.
5. "Tequila" (2018)
WBThis song made a big impact on Dan + Shay’s career. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 61st Grammy Awards as well as both Single and Song of the Year at the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards. It's a great anthem.
4. "Speechless" (2018)
WBA great wedding song. The song's video is great too. It features footage from Smyers' and Mooney's 2017 weddings, including the grooms' first looks at their brides, the brides walking down the aisle, and the couples' introductions at their respective receptions.
3. "Lying" (2021)
WBThe duo’s single from August 2021. It's a great song with a vibe and lyrics to match. In July 2021, Dan + Shay announced the song and its release date along with a teaser video. On the song's chorus, they sing the lines, "I don't miss you in my bed / I don't hear you in my head / I don't love you / I'm not cryin' / And I swear, I'm not lyin.'"
2. "I Should Probably Go to Bed" (2020)
WBIn my interview about the song with the duo, the duo gushed about how excited they were for this one to come out. Smyers also produced the song and played every instrument on it from his own house. He told me that he had the song's title saved on his phone for months before the conception of the song.
1."10,000 Hours" (with Justin Bieber) (2019)
WBAn amazing song and surely a song that will be played at countless weddings for decades to come. The song was named Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards. In addition, “10,000 Hours” debuted at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also made history on Billboard's Streaming Songs chart by becoming the highest-charting non-holiday country song in the history of the chart, besting the number nine peak of Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise.”
