Arguably the most successful duo currently on the country music scene just celebrated a major milestone together. In early December of 2012, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney met each other for the first time. Though they both had big aspirations for their respective music careers, it’s hard to imagine they could have envisioned the tremendous success that was in store for their careers once they teamed up. 10 years later, the dynamic duo known as Dan + Shay has racked up multiple ACM Awards, an American Music Award, and 3 Grammys.
These two dudes might just be the most romantic songwriters in country music (seriously though, take notes guys. If you ever want to impress a girl just play some Dan + Shay for her). On that note, it’s no surprise that these guys celebrated their musical partnership with a sentimental Instagram post that any guys being dudes would be proud of. The caption for the post sums up Dan + Shay’s thoughts on their musical milestone with the type of heartfelt revelry and genuine gratitude that defines the songs they write as well.
A Look Back At Dan + Shay 10 Years Later
As years fly by things often change. Dan seemingly may not have gotten a haircut in the last 10 years. Shay has seemingly gained and lost a lifetime’s worth of weight over the last decade. One thing has for sure remained the same though, these two fellas are still absolute rockstars.
In addition to all the trophies they’ve won, their digital streaming presence is so robust that pretty much any country musician would be thrilled with those numbers. It takes a special kind of swag to rip up a track with Justin Bieber, but these guys knocked it out of the park with their song 10,000 Hours, which is a collaboration with him. Though that may be their most recognizable song, it’s definitely not the only tune in their catalog worth listening to.
As Dan + Shay are putting together their fifth studio album, it can be easy to overlook just how many great songs they’ve pumped out over the last 10 years. It also makes it even more astonishing to hear that these guys apparently have hundreds of unreleased songs still in their bag.
Unabashedly Pop Country As Hell
As the ever tiresome pop country versus “real” country argument continues to cause pointless arguments amongst music fans constantly looking to be mad online about maybe the most subjective topic ever (opinions about music), the perspective Dan + Shay have about it is so damn refreshing. These guys aren’t trying to out-outlaw Waylon Jennings or out-cowboy Cody Johnson. They’re just trying to make the best, most authentic music they can make without worrying about what less successful people than them on the internet have to say about it. Dan Smyers recently spoke about that very topic on the Country Central Podcast, and his take on it is something that anyone with common sense and a shred of self-awareness should be able to appreciate.
