Sounds like Dan + Shay almost went the way of FGL.
The duo is often talked about in the same conversations as Florida Georgia Line, not because their music is necessarily that similar but because their sound leans more towards pop than country.
And just like Florida Georgia Line had some conflicts between the two members that seemingly led the band to go their separate ways, it seems like the same thing almost happened to Dan + Shay too.
In a brutally honest video, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney sat down to talk about the pressures of keeping up with the band that nearly led them to split up.
According to Shay, everything moved so fast with the band that they were never able to appreciate their success:
“For me, we didn’t ever take time to be able to appreciate winning a Grammy or all these things, because it was just happening so fast.”
And Dan also admits that by the time of their arena tour wrapped up in 2021, he was burnt out from it all:
“I had no balance before. It was completely one-sided, I was ignoring my marriage, I was ignoring all my friends, and I completely burnt myself out. Entirely burnt myself out.”
Shay also admits that he was drinking a lot during their arena tour, which started in March 2020 and was postponed due to COVID before resuming in September 2021, which made the low points even worse:
“Of course I wish that I would have been more present in the moment. Wish I would have hung out with you more. I was just in this very, feeling sorry for myself place, and not wanting to take responsibility for anything.
I think that’s a lot of the reason why I was unhappy during our arena tour. We’d built this thing up in our head and I was hanging so much of my happiness on the success of that arena tour. And even when it was successful, I got to that show and then we would leave mad about something stupid. And it was because we put so much weight on that moment that when it was over, what a downer.
Especially at that point, I was drinking a lot, so those highs became really high, and the lows became really, really low.”
And Dan admits that when they wrapped up the arena tour, he was ready to give it up:
“I was in like the lowest low of my entire life. Came off the road and I was like, ‘Man, I f*cking hate music. I’m ready to quit.'”
The duo revealed that after the arena tour wrapped in December of 2021, they didn’t speak to each other for four months. But in March 2022, they finally sat down to discuss the future of Dan + Shay. And Dan says that meeting changed their mindsets and helped the band move forward:
“We just weren’t working on it. We let things get in the way. We let things fly out the window.
Man, that moment where we sat down and just talked it out, I feel like was so healthy. That night changed it all.”
And Shay agrees:
“It changed everything. And I feel like that was such a big turning point. It was us saying to each other like, ‘Look, I’m willing to fight for this.”
The bandmates admit that they feel closer than ever before, and have a new fire for making music.
So I guess anybody else who wanted a shot at winning Duo of the Year at any of the award shows is going to have to wait a little longer.
