As many of you know, Hudson and I are huge fans of country music. There’s just something so raw and real about country that you can’t find in any other genre…and I always say country concerts are the very best because the artists sound just as good live as they do on the radio.
That is especially true of the artist duo on my #1 most listened to Pandora station…Dan + Shay! So it was a huge honor to have the opportunity to interview Dan last week.
If you have not yet heard Dan + Shay’s newest single “From the Ground Up,” listen to it / watch the music video right now! I’m convinced it’s going to be the wedding song of the year – it’s absolutely beautiful. I may or may not have cried the first time I heard it, and have had it on repeat ever since. ;) My favorite part?
“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”
What people might not realize about the song is that it’s inspired by the marriages of both Dan + Shay’s grandparents! Which makes it even more beautiful. As Dan said, “Looking at them is just so inspiring; especially these days, you don’t see marriages lasting that long. The divorce rates are super high and it’s a different era, you know? But that’s something we can strive for and be inspired by looking at them.”
He said that sometimes he and Shay feel like being on the road for weeks upon weeks is tough, but then they realize that both of their grandfathers went away to war and their grandmothers were raising kids on their own. “There’s a lyric in the second verse about ‘The clouds are gonna roll, the earth’s gonna shake, but I’ll be your shelter through the wind and the rain’ saying that you’re going to have highs and lows. There are going to be ups and downs. But you’ve gotta battle through it – that’s what love’s all about. It’s not all butterflies and sunshine – it’s something you’ve got to work at.
That could not be more true, and is such a good reminder. In today’s world, it’s neat to have songs like these spreading positive messages about loyalty and amazing marriages – and Dan said that was exactly their goal with this song. So I’m excited for it to hopefully reach No. 1 on the Country Charts like their Where It All Began album’s single “Nothin’ Like You” – another one of my favorites!
What’s interesting about “Nothin’ Like You” is that it actually was a last-minute add. They had turned in their entire album, which was originally 11 songs, to the label. But then they wrote “Nothin’ Like You,” and when their friends and family heard the demo they said it absolutely had to be added – and their label agreed. In our interview, Dan laughed and said “It’s funny that the last-minute, final-hour song ended up being our first #1 single!”
I asked him how they decide how to narrow down the songs, with so many great options to choose from – and he said that’s one of the most difficult tasks artists have. “We wrote probably 80 or 90 songs for this new album that we’re working on right now. You go in there with your team and you’re like we’ve got to narrow it to 30. And then it’s like, we can only record 15. And then you record 15, and you’re like okay we can only put 10 or 12 on the record. It’s a tough task.”
As for the new album – there’s no date set yet, but it’s coming out sometime this year! They’re working on narrowing down the songs and putting the finishing touches on everything now. In the meantime, they’ve been nominated for yet another award – Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2016 ACM Awards! (be sure to tune in April 3rd to cheer them on) – and will be joining Darius Rucker on the upcoming “Good for a Good Time” tour.
Dan said he loves to stay busy on the road. So what does a day in the life on tour look like for him? Wake up and eat almond butter, a banana, and a vegan protein powder shake. Afterward, do yoga or go for a run, and then try to get some work done (he co-produces their record!). Soundcheck around 3, “try to eat as much as possible at catering” (ha! that would be me), and then get ready for the show. “And definitely coffee throughout the day, at all hours too.”
It was really neat to learn first-hand how down-to-earth Dan + Shay are. Shay loves going to the movies, and Dan’s favorite date idea is pizza and ice cream. Dan also said that his favorite quote is still one his basketball coach from 2nd grade told him: “It’s ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ If you’re not working hard, there’s somebody out there working harder than you and they’re gonna take your spot. So you’ve gotta work as hard as you possibly can but still try to enjoy the moment at the same time, so that’s always a balance that we’re trying to figure out.”
It’s clear that Dan + Shay have both talent AND hard work. Can’t wait to continue to follow their music and see them in concert this summer!
