Dan + Shay Reveal They Almost Broke Up After Wrapping 2021 Tour: 'We Let Things Get in the Way'

"I could feel the separation, and I think there was little things between you and I that we never talked about," said Shay Mooney

After putting in their 10,000 hours, Dan + Shay nearly called it quits.

On Monday, the country duo revealed in a new YouTube video titled "The Drive" that they almost parted ways as bandmates following a string of successes including a 2021 arena tour and three Grammy wins.

"I was in, like, the lowest low of my entire life. Came off the road, and I was like, 'Man, I f---ing hate music. I’m ready to quit,'" recalled Dan Smyers in the clip.

"I could feel the separation, and I think there was little things between you and I that we never talked about," replied Shay Mooney.

Related: Dan + Shay to Join 'The Voice' as Coaches Alongside Reba McEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper

The musicians noted that the low period "was affecting everything — not just our band, but our marriages" and led to them not speaking to each other for four months until March 2022, when they sat down for a discussion.

"Whether we break up and we hug it out and say, ‘Man, this has been the best 10 years of our life,’ or we say, ‘Man, this is a launching off point. This is a new beginning. This is a chance for a whole new outlook on life,'" said Smyers, 35. "I feel like this was the first time after the arena tour, after COVID that we were able to step back and just assess."

Mooney, 31, felt as though they "didn't ever take time to appreciate winning a Grammy or all these things because it was just happening so fast."

"You live life, things happen, life gets in the way, and I had no balance before. It was completely one-sided," said Smyers, who married wife Abby in 2017. "I was ignoring my marriage, I was ignoring my friends. I completely burnt myself out — entirely burnt myself out."

Looking back on their years together since debuting in 2013, Mooney discussed his regrets and reflected on how he was dealing with success: "I think about all those things that we did and all those decisions that I made and of course I wish that I would’ve been more present in the moment. I wish I would’ve hung out with you more."

"I mean, I was just in this very ‘feeling sorry for myself’ place, and not wanting to take responsibility for anything," added Mooney, who married wife Hannah in 2016. The couple share three sons: Asher, 6, Ames, 3, and Abram, 5 months. "We’d built this thing up in our head, and I was hanging so much of my happiness on the success of that arena tour, and even when it was successful, I got to that show, and then we would leave, like, mad about something stupid."

Mooney continued, "And it was because we put so much weight on that moment that when it was over, what a downer — especially, at that point I was drinking a lot. So, those highs became really high, and the lows became really low."

Related: Dan + Shay Team Up with Charlie Puth for New Breakup Song — and Sabrina Carpenter Stars in the Video

At the time, Smyers said they "weren't working on" their issues and "let things fly out the window" but got their relationship back to a more positive place after the March 2022 conversation.

"It changed everything, and I feel like that was such a big turning point. It was us saying to each other, like, 'Look, I’m willing to fight for this,'" said Mooney.

Smyers noted that Dan + Shay has been "one of the most important things that's ever happened in my life," while Mooney spoke about how the band also "matters to people."

"We had a responsibility, and we owed it to them," said Smyers.

After having a "gut check" with one another, they "found that joy" that was initially present in their personal and artistic bond. Toward the end of the clip, they reflected on how they started making music together, with Smyers stating, "We just genuinely wanted to hang out with each other."

"I can feel the closeness of our relationship and our friendship when I listen back to the music. We are by far, a million times the closest we’ve ever been — for so many reasons, but because we worked at it. That makes what we’re doing now infinitely sustainable," continued Smyers. "I could do this the rest of my life with you."

Related: 'Brothers' Dan + Shay on Their Decade-Long Friendship: 'We're Family at This Point'

"I don’t know where we’re going, but the lessons that we learn along the way — it is the drive there, and I just think that the accumulation of this journey has really taken us to this point, because it’s changed our lives," added Mooney, before teasing new music. "I mean, honestly, the process of this album completely changed our lives."

As the video came to a close, both performers expressed "love" and pride for one another, before joking, "I'm going to cry now."

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