Dan + Shay Reflect on 2017 and Embrace Living in the Moment

2017 has certainly been a whirlwind for Dan + Shay. The year kicked off with Shay Mooney entering into fatherhood, followed by Dan Smyers’ wedding, and later wrapped with Mooney tying the knot. In between it all, the duo toured the nation (and beyond!), performing their hits and topped the country radio charts with their song “How Not To.”

With the year coming to a close, the duo is taking time to reflect on 2017 and appreciate the blessings in their lives.

“I’ve learned a lot. Having a child, getting married, those things teach you a lot and I’ve learned that life goes by really, really fast,” Mooney admitted to Sounds Like Nashville and other media recently. “I remember this time last year Hannah was pregnant and now we have this beautiful baby that’s there and crawling around. And it just goes by so fast. And you really have to take every moment moment by moment and just really savor that and enjoy it.”

Savoring the moment has become increasingly important for the duo as they spend much of their year out on the road without their loved ones. While the traveling and being away from family can be tiresome, Mooney and Smyers do their best to savor the moments because they know they are truly living their dreams.

“We’ve always told each other that we have to do that and kind of remind each other that this thing that we get to do, music for a living, is an incredible thing,” he shared. “There’s a lot of people out there that don’t get to do something that they love for a living. And we just try not to take any of that for granted and we like to take every day as it comes to us. And to be able to do that and really enjoy your life as it comes to you. So, I’ve definitely learned to slow things down a little bit.”

“I’m not gonna beat that answer. That was pretty good right there. That was awesome,” added Smyers with a laugh. “No, it’s true. It’s crazy when you’re out on the road, you’re in this time warp in the tour bus and time does go fast. And we talked to artists when we were first getting this thing going… when we first signed our record deal, they were like, I mean to quote Kenny Chesney, ‘Don’t blink.’ It does seriously go so fast. We already are working on our third album. It’s like I remember when we were in our buddies basement cutting demos that became the first album. And it’s just crazy how it happens. Like Shay said, we’re blessed and we’re lucky to get to do this.”

Dan + Shay will attempt to top this already incredible year when they leap into 2018 with the hopes of releasing their third studio album.