Country duo Dan + Shay are celebrating a fresh start with their 5th studio album, Bigger Houses. The project, which released September 15, goes far beyond new music for the pair, who revealed they nearly called it quits following their 2021 arena tour.
LISTEN NOW: Dan + Shay celebrate a ‘fresh start’ with new album, ‘Bigger Houses’
“We were just so burnt out,” Shay said, reflecting on the turbulence he and Dan experienced. “We got to this place of ‘Man, I’m just so tired and burned out and we were just kind of going in different directions.”
After having a “come to Jesus moment” with one another, the duo says they are more connected to each other and the music than ever before. That new-found connection shines bright on the new tracks that they both say brought them back to the basics.
“I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot of things over the past 10 years, we’ve gotten to experience a lot of things, but when you’re experiencing them for the first time, I feel like it’s all happening so fast, you’re drinking from a fire hose,” Dan said of the early days. “Not that this is a second chance, but going back to do our second major tour, second major headlining show, I feel like with this go-around, when you come back you can really appreciate it and soak it in.”
The next go-around Smyers is referring to is the duo’s forthcoming Heartbreak on the Map Tour, kicking off Spring 2024 and visiting arenas across America.
Named after one of the tracks from the new album, Dan + Shay say they look forward to bringing new music to fans all over and spreading the positive messages in the process. “Reminding yourself to kind of try and change your perspective on what success is, is what we’ve tried to do on this album,” said Shay, admitting he and Dan needed to hear that message more than anyone.
“We wanted to make sure we heard that message more than everybody else,” he continued. “I feel like this is such a relatable thing for anyone. It doesn’t matter if you have a million dollars or you have three cents in your bank account — you can find happiness in things that are not materialistic.”
Hear more about the positivity Dan + Shay are ready to spread and more about their struggles as a duo, what got them through and what they have planned for the future by checking out their full conversation on the Friday Night Takeover with Audacy’s Rob + Holly above.