Country Music duo consisting of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. Before pairing up, Mooney was a solo artist on Nappy Boy Entertainment (owned by T-Pain), and Smyers was in the groups Bonaventure and Transition. After writing a song for Rascal Flatts, who has been a major influence on their sound, they signed to Warner (Bros.) Records in 2013.
Their debut single "19 You + Me" made some noise on the charts, and they got their first #1 with the album's last single, "Nothin' Like You". Second album Obsessed included the hits "From the Ground Up" and "How Not To", while their self-titled third disc produced their biggest hit to date in "Tequila".
Their sound is smoothly-voiced country-pop with strong melodic hooks, leading many critics to compare them favorably to the early work of Rascal Flatts. Constant romantic imagery in their lyrics has also led to some terming their music as "boyfriend country", illustrating a move toward a more female-targeted sound than the meatheaded "bro-country" preceding them.
Albums
- Where It All Began (2014)
- Obsessed (2016)
- Dan + Shay (2018)
- Good Things (2021)
Tropes present in their work
- Album Title Drop: The first line of "19 You + Me" name-drops "Where It All Began".
- Book Ends: "19 You + Me" begins and ends on the lyric "It was our first week at Myrtle Beach, Where It All Began".
- Break-Up Song: "How Not To" has the narrator trying to figure out "how not to" deal with certain relationships after a breakup.
- Distracted by the Sexy: "Nothin' Like You":I remember when I first met you
Sipping coffee in a corner booth
You were twirling your hair
And I just had to stare
For a minute or two... - Fan Flattering: According to a post made by them on Instagram, "Glad You Exist" is meant to be this. However, the lyrics reference one-night stands and drunk late-night texts, suggesting the common song trope of the narrator being in several unfavorable relationships before finding the right one, à la "Bless the Broken Road".
- Grow Old with Me: Present in "From the Ground Up":Someday we'll wake up
With thousands of pictures
Sixty-five years in this little house
I won't trade for nothing, the life that we built
I'll kiss you goodnight and say I love you still
And we'll build this love from the ground up
For worse or for better
And I will be all you need... - In Vino Veritas: In "Tequila", the narrator realizes that certain emotions of a breakup only come through when he drinks tequila.
- Love Nostalgia Song: "19 You + Me".
- The Power of Love: "From the Ground Up" is about building a long-lasting relationship that the narrator hopes will still be around 65 years later.
- Romantic Hyperbole: "10,000 Hours":I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more
Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours
And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try
If it's ten thousand hours or the rest of my life - Wanderlust Song: "Road Trippin'" is about wanting to take a road trip with a loved one.
