ABC/ Pawel KaminskiAfter a year that saw the lines between country and pop blur thanks to hits like “The Middle” and “Meant to Be,” it seems the trend is continuing into 2019. Take “Tequila” by Dan + Shay — after topping the country chart for multiple weeks in 2018, it’s now big on the pop chart. And the duo’s Shay Mooney says they’re excited about inspiring pop music fans to embrace country.
“To see that cross over into different genres has been incredible for us,” says Shay. “As many people that can hear the song, it only helps us, it only helps the country genre, y’know? It brings people in from the outside.”
“We’ve had that a lot, where people are like, “Man I’ve never listened to country music, but I heard your song and now I’ve discovered all these other acts,'” Shay explains. “And…we’re blessed to be able to do this for a living, and to have a song get this big is just crazy for us. So we’re lucky to do it.”
The success of “Tequila” has also had an unexpected benefit: Dan + Shay’s fans and industry pals have spent the past year showering them with bottles of tequila.
“Dude, my liquor cabinet, it overflowed!” the duo’s Dan Smyers told ABC Radio. “I had to go to the upstairs closet! [It’s] filled with tequila — it’s incredible. It’s a great problem!”
“Whenever friends come over…we go through it, but the supply is ample, if you will, right now,” he laughs. “It’s good!”
Dan + Shay rang in 2019 by performing “Tequila” and other songs live from New York’s Times Square on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest. They start a U.K. tour on January 18, and then kick off a headlining U.S. tour in March.
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