Dan + Shay are nominated for a Grammy for their recent No. 1 hit, "Bigger Houses." The nomination, their fifth overall, is for Best Country/Duo Group Performance, a category they won three times. But this nomination is especially surprising for both Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, who never expected the song to do so well at radio.
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"We got nominated for a Grammy on that song, which is absolutely mind-blowing," Mooney says. "Whenever Dan and I first recorded the song, and decided to push this as a single, I feel like our radio team was probably like, 'What are you guys thinking? The song is so slow.' But we've always run with our gut on singles and really listen to our fans."
Dan + Shay have learned that their fans are usually right when it comes to which songs will be hits for them.
[We] know the stories that we were hearing from people about this song in particular. ... It just really hit us," the father of four says. "We knew that we had something really special here. It's been amazing to be a part of something a little bit bigger than us. I feel like this is kind of a movement of gratitude for not only us, but for people. It's just been amazing. And to have a song like that be nominated for a Grammy is just really special. So, we're very grateful guys. But I can't believe that we're still here after 10 years, and still able to do this and have people still listen."
Dan + Shay Reunion
At one time, it seemed like Dan + Shay's era might have ended. The two have been vocal about a four-month break they took in 2022. At the time, they were unsure if they would ever make music again. Fortunately, the two reunited, and became stronger than ever.
"We felt it was important that we were very candid with our fans and with people. Because I think with anything else with the need, like anxiety that other people go through, the more you talk about that stuff, the more it helps," Mooney explains. "And we felt like it was our responsibility to be open and vulnerable, so other people know that somebody else is going through this as well."
"Bigger Houses" is the title track of Dan + Shay's latest album, released in 2023. The song became their 11th No. 1 single.
