After conquering the country music world with their song “Tequila,” Dan + Shay is back with new music, and this time, the two-man band isn’t alone. Fresh off of his South Carolina wedding ceremony, Justin Bieber, 25, joined the country music duo for their song, “10,000 Hours.” Dan + Shay + Justin blend country and pop to create one swoon-worthy love track. Is that a twang we hear in the Biebs’ voice? Unlike the upbeat tempos in Justin’s recent slew of pop tracks, the singer slows it down to croon how he’d spend “10,000 hours and 10,000 more” with the love of his life (AKA, Hailey Baldwin). We’re getting flashbacks to when JB put most of the electronic sounds aside to let his voice take center stage in “Love Yourself”!
Dan + Shay (aka Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney) first hinted that this collaboration was coming at the start of the week (Sept. 29). The duo’s Twitter account tweeted a red “+” on a mint-green field, with only a date: “10.4.19.” There was a link to pre-save the song on Spotify, but that was all the info available. There was no mention of Justin on the track and it was TMZ who first reported about Biebs’ involvement. During his wedding reception at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, Justin reportedly “grabbed the mic and performed with Dan + Shay.”
This isn’t the first time that Dan + Shay have crossed paths with Justin Beiber. When they were country newcomers, the duo had an impromptu jam session during 2014’s SXSW. In front of about 100 people at Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden in Austin, Texas, Dan + Shay brought out surprise guest Justin Bieber for two songs, according to Taste of Country. A selfie taken during the session went viral, for obvious reasons. Tori Kelly was also there, and it turns out that she, Justin and Dan + Shay are all managed by the same man: Scooter Braun.
Speaking of which, ahead of TMZ’s report, Scooter retweeted Dan + Shay’s message. “Hmmmmm,” he added. Scooter’s involvement led some to wonder if Ariana Grande, another artist he manages, would be on the record. There was also reportedly a rumor that Lil Nas X would be on the record as well. However, the cat was soon let out of the bag, and Billboard released the name of the song, called it a “mid-tempo” track, and noted it was co-written by Dan, Shay, Bieber, Jordan Reynolds, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd.
Dan + Shay became the biggest thing in country music on the strength of “Tequila,” the lead single from their 2018 self-titled studio album. The song won Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards, earned them Top Country Duo/Group at the Billboard Awards, and countless other award nominations. It was certified platinum three times and hit the top of the US Country charts. Their follow-up singles – “Speechless” and “All To Myself” – were successful, but with diminishing returns. “Speechless” only went double platinum, and “All To Myself” only went gold (which, let’s be honest, is a level of success most bands would give their left arm to reach.) Will this new song be the second coming of “Tequila”?