“We Won 3 Grammys and Still Felt Like Failures” - Dan + Shay (Live Performance)

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 14, 2026

Duration

1h 34m

Channel

Modern Wisdom

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney are American country music singers, songwriters, and Grammy Award-winning artists. Expect to learn the biggest differences between being on the come-up to worldwide fame as artists, whether it’s harder to get your first hit or following it up, what it was like to perform the national anthem at the World Cup, why Dan + Shay are moving away from “wedding” music, why people connect more deeply with pain than happiness in music, the lowest points in Dan & Shay’s lives and how they came back from rock bottom, and much more… - Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get up to 20% off Timeline’s leading longevity and cellular health supplement at https://timeline.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get the brand new Whoop 5.0 and your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at ⁠https://chatgpt.com - 0:00 How Did Dan + Shay Meet? 4:17 Does Success Kill Drive? 15:43 Is Staying Successful Harder Than Getting There? 26:27 The Moments That Defined Dan + Shay 28:32 The Pressure of Performing the National Anthem 37:07 How Dan + Shay Reinvented Their Writing Process 40:17 The Story Behind _Say So_ 47:10 Why Humans Should Never Stop Making Art 49:57 Experience vs Imagination: What Makes Better Music? 54:03 Why Pain Connects More Deeply Than Happiness 57:40 Why Aging is Hard to Navigate 01:06:58 Can Authenticity Be Manufactured? 01:08:52 How Dan + Shay Found Their Way Back 01:18:40 What Makes a Great Business Partner? 01:22:54 Should You Always Listen to Criticism? 01:33:04 Where to Find Dan + Shay - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spotify.modernwisdom.com or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.modernwisdom.com Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Chris Williamson

  host

  Podcaster and host of Modern Wisdom.

• Shay Mooney

  guest

  Singer-songwriter and one half of the country duo Dan + Shay.

• Dan Smyers

  guest

  Singer-songwriter, producer, and one half of the country duo Dan + Shay.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Shay Mooney, “We Won 3 Grammys and Still Felt Like Failures” - Dan + Shay (Live Performance) explores Dan + Shay on success, pressure, reinvention, and writing “Say So” Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney recount meeting in Nashville while broke, then reflect on how success changes motivation, identity, and what they can write about.

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