Dan + Shay Are Not Brothers, but They Share a Brotherly Bond
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay have enjoyed great success in the music industry since breaking out in 2014. The country duo is best known for love songs such as “Speechless,” “Tequila,” and the Justin Bieber collaboration “10,000 Hours.” Smyers and Mooney’s close relationship has melted fans’ hearts, and many assume Dan + Shay are brothers. Though the two are not related, they share a brotherly bond.
Dan + Shay are not related but have a lot in common
Smyers and Mooney have known each other since 2012. Throughout that decade, they’ve developed a close bond that some people mistake for familial. Many fans think the two Dan + Shay members are related, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to Country Fan Cast, Smyers and Mooney aren’t twins, brothers, or even relatives. However, they share some aspects of Irish and English descent, one of their many similarities.
Another commonality is that they both proposed to their girlfriends and tied the knot the same year. Smyers asked his now-wife Abby Law to marry him in November 2016 after they were together for more than three years. The happy couple walked down the aisle on May 13, 2017.
Mooney had announced his engagement a few months before his bandmate’s proposal. Country Fan Cast reports that Smyers proposed to his now-wife, former Miss Arkansas USA Hannah Billingsley, in August 2016 and tied the knot on October 20, 2017.
Mooney has since become a father of two. He and Billingsley welcomed their son Asher in January 2017 and Ames in February 2020. Though Smyers and Law don’t have any children, the two animal lovers are parents to four rescue dogs.
Given that two dark-haired singers spend a lot of time together, it’s easy to see why people might think they’re brothers.
Inside Dan + Shay’s close friendship
Seeing a duo like Dan + Shay restores hope in all things good. The two have a close bond that’s developed over time into a brotherhood of sorts. According to People, Mooney and Smyers met in 2012 when the former attended a house party at his bandmate’s place. The outlet notes that Smyers had a giant tent set up in his living room because he didn’t have money for heating.
The duo has come a long way since those early years. Smyers once narrated how surreal their rise to fame has been, saying, “We couldn’t pay a bartender or bouncer to come see us play a show. Now we play, and there’s like one empty seat … It seems like yesterday we released that first album. So much has changed. It’s crazy.”
The pair frequently appears on each other’s Instagram pages and has a joint Instagram page dedicated to Dan + Shay and their music. Most of the posts of the two together show them having the time of their lives. They often post videos of themselves covering various songs, performing in front of huge crowds, or goofing around with each other.
The artists won their 1st Grammy Award in 2019
After signing with Warner/Chappell Music, Dan + Shay released their debut single, “19 You + Me,” in 2013, to positive reception. Their debut album, Where It All Began, came out in 2014, followed by Obsessed in 2016, Dan + Shay in 2018, and Good Things in 2021.
They found superstardom in 2018 when their song “Tequila” charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the duo their first Grammy Award the following year. That led to a collaboration with Justin Bieber on the song “10,000 Hours,” peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
