With their 10th #1, “Save Me the Trouble,” under their belt, Dan + Shay‘s Shay Mooney is looking back on the duo’s journey together and how vulnerability was a game-changer for them.
“Being able to be vulnerable in that [rock-bottom] moment was incredible for us. I knew once we got to the other side, it was important that we shared our story because I know there’s a lot of people, not just our fans, but also people in the industry [who can relate],” Shay shares with ABC Audio.
“We had so many texts from friends [who] are country music artists and who have done this for a long time,” he recalls. “They were like, ‘Man, thank you for being vulnerable and talking about that because we’re going through the same thing’ or whatever it is.”
Being open about their struggles helped Dan + Shay heal and grow together as individuals and as a duo.
“You need to be vulnerable and talk about what you’re going through. We didn’t think too much about that. It wasn’t like this elaborate plan, like, ‘All right, we need to do this or do that.’ It was just, you need to talk about it. We knew that was important from the beginning, and we try to carry that on and continue and make that a thing,” says Shay.
“Don’t be embarrassed [about] where you’ve been,” he adds. “You need to be vulnerable to get to where you want to be.”
Dan + Shay’s follow-up to “Save Me the Trouble” will be “Bigger Houses,” the title track of their latest album.
The Grammy-winning duo’s The Heartbreak On The Map Tour begins February 29. For tickets and a full list of dates, head to danandshay.com.
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