Dan + Shay have another trophy to add to their collection. The duo, made up of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, won the People’s Choice Country Award for The Group/Duo of 2023, beating out Brothers Osborne, Lady A, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, Old Dominion, Parmalee and The War and Treaty to take home the trophy.

“I always tell myself I’m not going to be nervous in these situations, but the truth is, we care a whole lot about country music. Honestly, a year ago if you’d asked me, I didn’t know if we’d ever stand on a stage together again, let alone win an award, together,” an emotional Mooney said from stage, referring to their recent four-month separation. “But we know that we have a responsibility because you guys put us here. Country music changed our life, every single day.

“And we are so grateful for you guys, and the country music family, who has let us be here, and literally live out our dreams,” he continued. “We were those kids that grew up listening to Toby Keith and Wynonna, and Little Big Town. This is truly a dream come true, and you guys change our lives every single day. God bless you guys, and God bless country music.”

Smyers also shared his thoughts on Dan + Shay’s win, especially since all of the awards were fan-voted.

“My heart is beating out of my chest right now,” Smyers admitted. “You can probably hear it in this microphone. I gotta take a quick second to say thank you to our wives, Abby and Hannah. We love you all so much. The last few years have been a great and crazy journey. But like Shay said, country music has saved our lives, and you guys have got us through it, and we are so grateful for everyone in this room’s support. And everyone at home, this is a fan-voted award, and you have no idea how much this means to us. Thank you to our fans for voting for us.”

Dan + Shay reemerged stronger after their lengthy split, releasing their  Bigger Houses album on September 15.

“Now when we get together, it’s like we’ve rekindled that friendship that we had early on,” Smyers told People. “What are the odds when we were both struggling so much that we found each other, that our pace and styles and talents and abilities complement each other so well and that we’ve built something so real?”

Find music and tour dates at  DanandShay.com.