Dan + Shay Deliver Live Debut of “Say So” at 61st Annual ACM Awards

Releasing their first album, Where It All Began, in 2014, country-pop duo Dan + Shay decided to take a step back after a decade of touring and new music. Releasing their sixth LP, It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album, in October 2024, the three-time Grammy winners went on an unplanned hiatus. They finally broke that silence in April 2026 with the mental health-themed single “Say So”. Taking the stage Sunday (May 17) at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, Dan + Shay debuted “Say So” live during the 61st annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

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Dan + Shay are no strangers to the ACM Awards, with this year marking their seventh appearance after making their debut in 2015 during the 50th-anniversary ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

At last year’s 60th anniversary, the pair—consisting of singer-songwriters Dan Smyers, 38, and Shay Mooney, 34—opened the ceremony at The Star in Frisco, Texas, with their 2018 chart-topper “Tequila”. In a recent interview, Smyers recalled looking out into the audience during the performance—only to lock eyes with the “King of Country” himself, George Strait.

“I feel like that definitely makes you nervous,” he admitted. “But I think it makes you step up your game a little bit. It makes you rise to the occasion. When you look out and see George Strait, it’s like, ‘We gotta bring it!’ And I feel good about that performance. It was good.”

Dan + Shay earned their fourth Duo of the Year nod at this year’s ACM Awards, although they lost to Brooks & Dunn earlier in the night.

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Why Dan + Shay Almost Didn’t Release “Say So”

An emotional Lauren Alaina introduced Dan + Shay’s performance, which happened to fall during Mental Health Awareness Month.

The lead single from their forthcoming seventh studio album Young, Dan + Shay wrote “Say So” with David Hodges and Jimmy Robbins in honor of their mentor Ben Vaughn, the head of Warner Chappell Music. Vaughn died by su*cide on January 30, 2025, at age 49.

Following the moving performance, a black screen flashed with the words, “In loving memory of our friend Ben Vaughn.”

Dan + Shay are awesome! #ACMawards

— Imagination (@SuppressedName) May 18, 2026

Initially, the duo worried that the song’s subject matter may be too heavy for their audience. However, they ultimately decided the track’s message was worth deviating from their standard love-song fare.

“[Np] matter if you’re the person standing on stage in front of thousands of people, or if you’re working a desk job or you’re in school, it’s a real thing, mental health, and no one is immune to (issues with it), whether you deal with it or somebody in your family or close personal circle does,” Smyers told Variety.

Featured image by Rich Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images