It’s no secret that Dan + Shay have been mainstay Vocal Duo of the Year nominees at the CMA Awards. In May, they won the ACM equivalent, Duo of the Year, and beat longtime winners Brothers Osborne.

While emerging as winners again at the 2024 CMA Awards would be exciting, they’re open to the pendulum swinging both ways.

“I mean, honestly, after doing it for 10 years, I feel like you can kind of get caught in it a little,” Shay Mooney tells ABC Audio. “You win some, you lose some. There’s always going to be a winner and a few losers, which always just kind of sucks for all of us, you know?”

That doesn’t mean they won’t feel even a tad sore if they walk home empty-handed.

“I feel like we all work really, really hard putting out music, and obviously being in the category is already an honor, but everybody always wants to win, you know? It always sucks when you lose,” says Shay.

However, it’s not always about winning for the “Bigger Houses” singers.

“Honestly, we’ve gotten to this place over the last 10 years that we genuinely are just, we’re happy to be included in there, man,” Shay expresses. “And there’s a lot of great music being created among all those artists.”

“I mean, Brooks & Dunn is in that category. And so it’s like, some of the greatest ever to do it,” he adds. “We love the Brothers Osborne and I think, obviously we would love to win, but just to be nominated is amazing. And we’re just happy that we’re still here.” 

The 2024 CMAs will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.

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