Dan + Shay made their debut on Season 25 of The Voice on Monday, February 26. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney share a double red chair, part of an all-star lineup of coaches this year that also includes John Legend, Chance the Rapper and fellow country artist, Reba McEntire, the latter who Dan + Shay say might be their biggest competitor.
“We get heated out there on the floor. We’re both country artists. We’re competing for the country acts that come through The Voice,” Smyers tells People. “Everybody always wants the country acts. I feel like that’s some of the best talent that’s out there.”
McEntire might be in competition with Dan + Shay for the country artists, but both men are still big fans of the Country Music Hall of Fame member.
“Hanging out with Reba is amazing,” Smyers boasts. “She is honestly one of the sweetest people we’ve ever met in our entire lives. I just can’t say enough good things about her. She’s always been so kind to us.”
Dan + Shay have been friends with McEntire for a long time, since the early years of their career.
“When we were first getting started, I remember Shay had just had his first kid and we were doing a Christmas show, CMA Country Christmas, and she came into the dressing room and took a picture with Asher,” Smyers remembers. “We just have so many sweet memories with Reba. But she’s a pro. I mean as famous and as successful as Reba is, she shows up five minutes early to every meeting, always has a smile on her face, great attitude. And that’s something that we can really learn from.”
Dan + Shay are making history with this season of The Voice, but having two coaches share one chair is also a challenge for them as well.
“I will say, I think it puts us at a little bit of a disadvantage,” Smyers recently admitted on the Today Show. “I gotta put that out into the atmosphere, in case John turns around faster and uses it against us. ‘Cause we’re sitting there, trying to give each other [signs], like, ‘You digging this?’”
Having a double chair might be a challenge, and they might be competing against country music royalty, but Dan + Shay are determined to do all that they ca to win Season 25 of The Voice.
“We’re not there to just get second place. We’re trying to win the show,” Mooney maintains. “And so I feel like it’s going to be really awesome to be able to watch that come to fruition and watch our contestants be able to compete in that kind of environment.”
The Voice airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.
