The Personal Issues That Nearly Caused Dan + Shay To Split
It seems inevitable that groups of musicians or bands will break up — and many have for petty reasons. From Blink-182 to The Eagles, it's a tale as old as time. So, it's not surprising that the duo Dan + Shay almost went through a similar experience.
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney first met over a decade ago, in 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee. The two crossed paths at a house party and clicked over their love for music, and it wasn't long before they started writing with each other. Not long after, Smyers and Mooney saw some success with their single, "19 You + Me." After the single's success, the duo's music career grew as they worked with famed musicians, including Justin Bieber and the Rascal Flatts. Not only did their music career flourish, but so did their friendship.
Speaking of their closeness with People, Mooney became vulnerable about his friendship with Smyers. He shared, "It's turned into more of a brother situation. We're family at this point. We work so well together because, in the best of ways, we couldn't be more opposite human beings," he continued, "I'm a pretty optimistic guy, but I'm all over the place. Dan's a realist and he keeps me grounded. I make Dan have a little more fun than he normally would." From their success to their relationship, everything about Dan + Shay seemed perfect, but the reality is that there were personal issues that nearly caused the duo to split.
Dan + Shay were not happy during peak success
2021 marked a landmark year for Dan + Shay. Their hit "10,000 Hours" with Justin Bieber not only skyrocketed to success but also cemented a real bond between the two, culminating in a Grammy win. On the outside, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney seemed thrilled with their success, even telling People that winning a Grammy made them feel "really good." But, the reality was that the duo was close to calling it quits.
In a video posted to YouTube, Smyers and Mooney revealed that they were seriously burnt out and not really communicating. As a result, they almost ended their working relationship in 2021. "I was in the lowest low of my entire life. Came off the road, and I was like, 'Man, I f**king hate music. I'm ready to quit,'" Smyers explained. Mooney sensed the separation and revealed that the tension in the group not only affected their music careers but their personal life, too.
For Mooney, he was putting a lot of pressure on the big moments of their career that when they came and went, it became more of a disappointment. As for Smyers, he ignored things that were truly important to him. He said, "You live life, things happen, life gets in the way, and I had no balance before. It was completely one-sided. I was ignoring my marriage. I was ignoring all my friends. I completely burnt myself out, entirely burnt myself out." Because of all this, the group went nearly four months without talking and nearly broke up the duo.
Dan + Shay reconnected after deep conversation
Things were not looking good for Dan + Shay in 2021 and 2022. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney were on the verge of ending their musical career after four months of not speaking to one another. Mooney explained in a YouTube video that the two were disregarding their problems. He said, "We just weren't working on it. We let things get in the way. We let things fly out the window." The problems continued to stack on, but luckily for fans, Smyers and Mooney sat down to have a conversation about the future of their career.
"That moment when we sat down and just talked it out, I feel like, was so healthy. That night changed it all," Smyers explained. Mooney agreed and opened up about how that night showed that the two hadn't given up on their career and were willing to fight for what they had. Mooney shared, "We love this band. This has been our life. It matters, and it matters to people. We had a responsibility." This conversation changed everything and got them back on track with their music career.
In 2023, the duo released their new album, "Bigger Houses," and announced they would embark on a tour in 2024, per ABC News. Dan + Shay may have faced a major hiccup, with the duo nearly breaking up, but thanks to that one conversation, they were able to come back better than ever.