Dan + Shay on Burnout, Drinking Too Much, and How They Nearly Broke Up

CMA Fest 2023 - Day 1

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I've heard artists compare being in a band to a marriage. You're constantly together, you know how to press each other's buttons, and if you don't work on the relationship, there's a decent chance you'll split up.

Dan + Shay wanted to tell the story of how they almost cashed it in a couple of years ago . . . so they piled into a Ford Bronco and turned on the video camera. They titled the clip, "The Drive".

The story starts with Dan Smyers sharing how out of control things were. This was in December of 2021. Quote, "I was in the lowest low of my entire life. Came off the road and I was like, 'Man, I [f****ing] hate music. I'm ready to quit.'"

The irony was they had reached their goals. "Tequila" was a huge hit, and won a Grammy, and their Arena Tour was a success. But Shay Mooney says they didn't let themselves enjoy the good. Instead, they focused on the bad.

Quote, "We put so much weight on that moment that when the tour 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."

They went their separate ways and didn't speak to each other for four months. It was March of 2022 when they finally got back together to decide if they were going quit performing together . . . or try to salvage something.

That meeting "changed it all" and as you might expect it was the music that did it. Just like in the beginning. The spark was lit again, and this time they vowed to work at being open and honest. They're now the closest they've ever been.

Dan says, quote, "One of the most important things that's ever happened in my life was Dan + Shay." Shay added, "We love this band. This has been our life. It matters to us, it matters to people."


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