Country Duo Dan + Shay Is Killin' It

2018 has been a busy and successful year for country duo Dan + Shay. They released a self-titled album in June via Warner Bros. Records, appeared on stage nearly 100 times, received many award nominations, and still made time for their families.

The duo includes Dan Smyers, 31 from Wexford, Pennsylvania, and Shay Mooney, 26 from Natural Dam, Arkansas. Both are married, and Mooney has a son just shy of one year old. They met on December 7, 2012 at Smyers's small house party in Nashville where they jammed out together all night. From there, they started writing together the next day. Their first single, "19 You + Me," was released in October 2013 and they made their Grand Ole Opry debut on February 1, 2014. Where It All Began was their first album, released on April 1, 2014. It included popular songs such as "Show You Off" and "Nothin' Like You," as well as "19 You + Me." By the end of 2014, the duo received their first Academy of Country Music Award nomination for Duo of the Year, and have been nominated every year since.

With 2018 coming to an end, there's a lot for them to reflect on. They received four CMA nominations: Duo of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year, and Song of the Year. A few days before the ceremony, they posted on Instagram, "Sounds cliche, but win or lose, we really are so thankful for what the country music community has done for us this year... thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey, we owe everything to you."

Although they didn't win any of the categories, the duo still took to social media to express their gratitude once again. "Thank you to our fans and everyone in the country music community who supported us this year. You truly changed our lives. We promise to work even harder for you next year."

Dan + Shay played 81 concerts this year and performed "Speechless" at the CMAs. They've also been successful on the Billboard Hot Country chart, holding the number one spot for three consecutive weeks with "Speechless," while "Tequila" currently holds the number three spot. Aside from Luke Combs, Dan + Shay are the only other artists to have more than one song in the top 20. They also managed to snag the number 32 spot on the Hot 100 Songs of 2018. However, the duo has not only been successful in the US. The self-titled album that they released in June hit gold on Music Canada.

As many fans know, this country pair is beginning a tour on December 29th with 28 shows. The tour's last show is on April 20, 2019. They shared via Instagram that the shows are selling out fast and the fans are going crazy, begging the artists to add more dates in the US, as well as other countries including Australia and the UK.

With all the success these two are experiencing this year, it's no surprise that they have been nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song—both for their single "Tequila." As stated in an Instagram post from December 7th, "We met exactly six years ago today (December 7, 2012), and woke up this morning to our first Grammy nomination(s). Emotion level: Maximum." Despite not having won any of the four CMA awards that they were nominated for, it's safe to say that these guys definitely have what it takes to win a Grammy. Speaking for all fans, they deserve a win. Tune into CBS to see the results of the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 10, 2019. From all the country fans, good luck Dan + Shay!