Dan + Shay Worried That New Song About Suicide Prevention &x27;Say So&x27; Was &x27;Too Heavy&x27; for Fans Ilana KaplanThu, April 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM UTC 0 Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney in September 2024 in NashvilleCredit: Jason Kempin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Dan + Shay revealed why they were hesitant to release their forthcoming single "Say So," which is about suicide prevention "That's just a sad reality of mental health, that no matter what it looks like on the outside, you never know what somebody's battling with on the inside," Shay Mooney said in an interview with Variety on Thursday...
Dan + Shay Worried That New Song About Suicide Prevention 'Say So' Was 'Too Heavy' for Fans
Ilana KaplanThu, April 2, 2026 at 9:33 PM UTC
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Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney in September 2024 in NashvilleCredit: Jason Kempin/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty -
Dan + Shay revealed why they were hesitant to release their forthcoming single "Say So," which is about suicide prevention
"That's just a sad reality of mental health, that no matter what it looks like on the outside, you never know what somebody's battling with on the inside," Shay Mooney said in an interview with Variety on Thursday, April 2
"Say So" is out Friday, April 3
Dan + Shay were initially hesitant about how fans might take their upcoming single.
In a Thursday, April 2 interview with Variety, the country duo opened up about their forthcoming single "Say So" and how it was inspired by a "mutual friend" who died by suicide in 2025.
"I got a call from a friend who don't call very often / Broke it to me and I couldn't believe that we lost him / Really felt like it came out of nowhere / But it never really comes out of nowhere / It's crazy the pain that we carry when nobody's watching," the song begins.
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney in January 2026 in Beverly Hills, Calif.Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Dan Smyers revealed how the song came from a conversation he had with Shay Mooney and friends about their late mentor and "mutual friend" Ben Vaughn, who was the head of Warner Chappell Publishing and died by suicide in January 2025.
"It was one of those things where no one saw it coming," Smyers, 38, told the outlet. "At least we didn't."
While "love songs" have become the pair's "bread and butter" over the years, their experiences with mental health had come to forefront.
"I've personally dealt with mental health stuff over the last few years, more so than ever," Smyers told Variety. "We battle a lot of stuff inside and outside of ourselves."
In speaking with their friends, Dan + Shay reflected on the loss of Vaughn.
"We were just like, 'Man, I wish we would've known. I wish we could have reminded him that there's always somebody on the other line,'" Smyers told the publication.
Mooney, 34, recalled the duo debating whether "Say So" would be right for their fanbase.
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"We were going back and forth asking, 'Man, is this song too heavy for Dan + Shay?' But I think people can look at us just as they see some of their friends and think, 'There's no way that they're going through something. They look like they're doing great,'" he told Variety.
Mooney continued, "That's just a sad reality of mental health, that no matter what it looks like on the outside, you never know what somebody's battling with on the inside. And as Dan mentioned, both he and I have struggled with that. No matter how well you're doing, some of those lowest points were at our highest mountain top."
According to Mooney the first verse pays tribute to Vaughn's story, which is "very heavy, but I think that the rest of this song really offers hope to people."
In 2023, the three-time Grammy-winning country duo spoke to PEOPLE about how they almost decided to go their separate ways in 2022 after a challenging few years.
"I had fallen out of love with music because I was chasing the wrong thing. I was chasing social media," Smyers, who was dealing with burnout, said at the time. "I needed to re-fall in love with music before I could sort out my relationship with Dan + Shay."
Meanwhile, Mooney was dealing with his own mental health issues.
Following their 2021 arena tour, they didn't speak for four months.
"We've gotten to this place where we've gotten to do so many cool things together, but we hadn't really gotten to take time to appreciate what we had been able to do and we were just unhappy," said Mooney.
Dan + Shay released their most recent — and first holiday LP — It's Officially Christmas: The Double Album in 2024.
"Say So" is out Friday, April 3.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: April 3, 2026 at 12:45AM on Source: RED MAG
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