Dan + Shay are already in the midst of their newest adventure as the history-making, first coaching duo on NBC’s The Voice.
LISTEN NOW: Dan + Shay on how that found their way to 'The Voice'
Joining Audacy’s Katie Neal on the Superstar Power Hour, the guys revealed they’ve already been taping auditions and opened up about the experience thus far, how they got the gig, and their team strategy.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Dan said of being on the show. “Everybody is awesome, it’s just a good crew.”
While the camaraderie is good between the guys and their fellow season 25 judges, which include Reba McEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper, they say they have no problem getting competitive to secure the best talent on their team.
“I would say Reba,” Shay said of who they view as their biggest competition. “Because she’s the only other Country act and she’s REBA,” he laughed.
Dan added, “We’re going head to head with her for the Country acts though, it’s ruthless.”
As they celebrate their new adventure, the guys reflected on the process it took to be on the show, which they both admit took a lot of patience. The idea to appear as coaches was first presented to the guys by their manager Jason Owen, who encouraged them to take a meeting with NBC and see where it went.
After connecting well with the folks at NBC, their hopes for getting the gig skyrocketed, especially for Shay.
“Every day I would ask Jason, ‘Hey man, you heard anything?’” Shay shared. “I feel like, before this, I had never even thought about that being a dream of mine. And then they put it in front of me and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ve wanted to do anything else other than this in my life.’ I was clearly born to do this. I know how to talk — a lot — and you can’t shut me up, this is perfect.”
After months of no news, the guys were ready to admit defeat until Dan got a text while drinking green beer and celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the beach with Country pal, Megan Moroney.
“Jason text us and he was like, ‘Hey, can you guys get on the phone?’ And it was like a Saturday or Sunday — it was St. Patrick's day and I was like, ‘alright this news is either really good or really bad.'”
He continued, “I’m out there, trying to find a quiet spot, we got on like, this conference call and he was like, ‘How would you guys like to be the coaches on The Voice?’ And I was like, ‘No Way!’ We’re on the phone, everybody is super excited and celebrating and then I go back in the bar and I was like, ‘I can’t tell anybody this.’”
While the news is thankfully out in the open now, there are still some details D+S are keeping under wraps — like exactly how they plan to “spin the chair” as two people.
“Tune in [to see]” Dan joked when asked how they actually converse in real time to decide if they want to spin the chair as a team.
“We thought we were going to come up with signs, but we don’t have to,” Shay added. “If the button gets pushed, you’re turnin’. And I feel like we kind of told each other like, ‘Look, if there’s someone that you really, really love — then you get one of those.”
The 25th season of The Voice is scheduled to take place in Spring 2024.
Find out more about their Voice journey, plus details surrounding their forthcoming tour, new album and the tough conversation they had last year by checking out their interview, hosted by Katie Neal, above.