Dan & Shay caught up with Billboard's Melinda Newman on the Winners Walk at the ACM Awards 2024.
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00:00 We're here with Dan and Shay who just won Duo of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
00:06 So, if I can be indelicate, it's been a minute since you won it.
00:11 Were you at all concerned like your time had passed?
00:14 Oh my goodness, you know, when you're up for an award, just being nominated, honestly, is just an honor.
00:19 And, you know, Dan and I have been doing this for ten years.
00:21 This was our tenth year being nominated, I think somebody said today.
00:25 And that's a crazy feat in itself, you know.
00:27 And Dan and I went through a time where I didn't know if we were going to be a band, you know, anymore.
00:31 And I'm very grateful for that time because I feel like that being there at rock bottom,
00:35 it forced us to deal with some things.
00:37 And I can truly say that we have never been in a better place in our entire career.
00:41 I'm having more fun now.
00:43 I mean, I feel like this is truly the beginning of Dan and Shay and what we can actually do together.
00:47 And there's something magical about a duo.
00:49 You know, we're huge fans of Brooks and Dunn and even, you know, in other genres.
00:52 You know, you've got all these amazing duos.
00:54 There's something magical about that.
00:55 But it also can be very volatile if you don't take care of it.
00:58 And we've watched that over the years, so many people breaking up.
01:00 And we've gotten to this place where I genuinely can say we can do this forever.
01:04 And back to your original question, when you, you know, you start to worry about things, worry about the future.
01:07 I'm not because I get to do this with my best friend and I get to make music without having another job.
01:11 And that's pretty damn cool.
01:13 We saw you backstage talking to the Brothers Osborne.
01:18 What was that conversation?
01:19 Were you, like, wagering which one of you was going to win?
01:22 Nah, those guys are the best, man.
01:23 They're so freaking talented.
01:24 Those are some of our best buddies in Nashville.
01:26 Love those guys, John and TJ.
01:28 We've always had each other's backs.
01:29 You know, it's kind of a running joke who's going to win, go back and forth.
01:32 But we root for those guys.
01:33 They're out there killing it.
01:34 We're out there doing our thing, man.
01:36 And we're coexisting in country music.
01:37 So there were no wagers made.
01:39 But we'll probably be partying with them later tonight.
01:41 You're going to be partying with them?
01:42 Are you ever going to record with them?
01:43 We might have to do that, man.
01:44 We love those guys.
01:45 They're so talented.
01:46 That's what I love about country music.
01:48 You know, obviously this is an award show and there's winners and losers and that freaking sucks.
01:51 But it's like when you win one, it feels really great.
01:53 It's just kind of part of the whole deal.
01:54 But what I love about it is that we're all a family, genuinely.
01:57 And after the show, it's, you know, we're genuinely friends.
01:59 We were texting each other like, man, that was crazy.
02:01 And, you know, they encouraged us, we encouraged them.
02:03 We're texting everybody here tonight.
02:05 I mean, honestly, we know just about everybody that's at this award show.
02:08 And that's just being in it for the last 10 years, you know.
02:10 We've made a lot of friends.
02:11 And we're very, very grateful to still be invited to the family dinner.
02:14 It's just awesome.
02:15 This is a crazy place.
02:16 You're wrapping up your season of "The Voice."
02:18 What have you enjoyed the most about it?
02:20 And if there's an opportunity to come back later, would you like to?
02:24 I know this sounds cliche, but like I've enjoyed genuinely getting to work with the artists.
02:28 Like really digging in.
02:29 I've gone probably more over the top, as you would expect.
02:32 Over the top, like digging in on song choices.
02:34 There's a guy, Clyde Lieberman, who's there, who's amazing.
02:37 I mean, there's so much thought that goes into those songs.
02:39 They know stuff we don't know.
02:40 Okay, they sang that on season 22 of "The Voice" or that artist is never going to clear the publishing on that.
02:46 There's a lot that goes into it, but really digging in, trying to give those artists the best shot.
02:49 Because that's an amazing moment for them.
02:51 Some of these kids, like, they're from a small town.
02:53 And that's their platform.
02:54 That's their moment.
02:55 I want to give them the best chance they can.
02:56 And like seeing the joy on their face when they move forward is like, it's awesome.
03:00 It's really special.
03:01 It's more than just a job or paycheck or whatever.
03:03 We're really enjoying it.
03:05 So what's coming next?
03:07 Are you allowed to say?
03:08 Hey, you might know.
03:09 You might know.
03:10 Yeah.
03:11 We can't say quite yet.
03:12 We're going to say quite yet.
03:13 This is our girl right here.
03:14 That's right.
03:14 Yeah.
03:15 We're very excited.
03:16 We're going to be putting out more music than we ever have in one year.
03:19 That's all I'm going to say.
03:20 I don't even know if I'm supposed to say that.
03:21 She knows we're not lying.
03:22 I know you're not lying.
03:23 I spilled the details.
03:24 I'm so fired up.
03:25 All right.
03:25 Good, good, good.
03:26 I'm so excited.
03:27 I've never been more excited about a season of my life ever.
03:31 So "Save Me the Trouble" went to number two on our charts.
03:35 Why do you think that resonated with people so much?
03:38 Oh, man.
03:39 I mean, that song, I feel like from the very beginning, we were kind of writing.
03:41 And we were in that writing process.
03:42 And I remember we were kind of waiting on that song that just like hit of like, hey, this is the one.
03:47 This is very special.
03:48 And I remember the day we wrote that song.
03:49 And it was just we all collectively, we were making the little voice note on our phone.
03:53 We all looked at each other and we're like, damn, this one's pretty good.
03:56 Yeah.
03:57 And we all kind of just had that moment of like, this is the one.
04:00 And I just think that it's, I don't know, it's honest, it's special.
04:03 But I think even just the recording of that song was just, that's some of Dan's best work ever.
04:07 And it was a very fun vocal to do, a hard vocal to sing.
04:11 I don't know, it was just a mix of, you know, relatable and a fun song to sing.
04:15 But also, you know, very technically from a recording standpoint, a very technically difficult song to produce and to sing.
04:21 So I don't know, there was just, there was something about it that just made us feel something, you know.
04:24 And I feel like at the end of the day, that's really what it is, is if a song moves you.
04:28 And whenever Dan sent me the first mix, I was in the pickup line at my kid's school.
04:32 And I had that thing cranked.
04:33 I was like busting out my speakers.
04:35 And I about, yeah, I was rolling down my windows.
04:37 I'm like, hey, everybody, you got to hear this.
04:40 But it was just, it made me feel like the first time I heard 19 U.M.E., our first single.
04:43 Whenever he sent me the demo, or sent me the mix, I was just blown away.
04:46 I had that same feeling like I did early on in our career.
04:49 And I don't know, there's just some magic to that.
04:50 So my last question to you is your former collaborator, Justin.
04:55 He's going to become a dad.
04:57 That's unbelievable. I saw that on Instagram.
04:58 That's crazy.
04:59 So Justin Bieber's going to become a dad.
05:00 Have you talked to him?
05:01 Like, what advice?
05:02 You're the dad of three.
05:04 Oh, gosh.
05:05 My advice is that nobody should be given any advice.
05:08 Yeah, I think that you've got to learn as you go.
05:09 You obviously pick up things as you go, but it is a learn as you go situation.
05:14 So Justin, if you're watching this, you're going to do just fine, man.
05:16 You're a good man.
05:17 It's going to be awesome.
05:18 I'm excited for them.
05:19 That's a new journey, and I feel like, you know, they have a lot of great people around them, you know.
05:23 And I know that he'll be able to kind of ask his mom some questions and things.
05:26 And I think it's going to be great for him.
05:27 It's going to be awesome.
05:28 Proud of him.
05:29 Thank you.
05:29 Congratulations.
05:30 You're the best.
05:30 Thank you.
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