Warner Music NashvilleNew duo Dan + Shay have made country-music history just 14 months after their first meeting. Their debut album, Where It All Began, bows at #1 on Billboard‘s Country Albums chart. This feat makes them the first duo to debut at #1 on that tally since SoundScan began tracking sales digitally in 1991. The project is also the highest-charting debut project released in 2014.
These impressive sales numbers mean fans are hearing their songs, and that’s music to Dan + Shay’s ears.
Shay Mooney tells ABC News Radio, “Everything kind of came together really quickly, and all these songs are kind of our babies, and we’re very proud of this.”
Duo partner Dan Smyers adds, “We’re proud to get the whole body of work out there and let people hear it from front to back.”
As for the plus sign in their name, Dan + Shay think most people have figured out that it’s pronounced “Dan and Shay” and not “Dan Plus Shay” by now.
Shay explains, “Yeah, in the beginning, it was definitely, people were just [like], ‘Is it ‘Dan Plus Shay?’ ’19 You-Plus-Me?’ So, people who really didn’t do the research, they would kind of mess it up sometimes.”
Dan + Shay continue introducing themselves to fans on the road opening for Hunter Hayes this spring. They play tonight in Southaven, Mississippi.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio
