Gratitude and living in the present are part of how Dan + Shay live their lives, just as their latest single, "Bigger Houses," suggests.
"['Bigger Houses' is] such a special song. That song is about gratitude and appreciating the people you have around you and not always chasing after what's next," the duo's Dan Smyers tells ABC Audio.
"Obviously, we're competitive. We want to keep going, keep raising the bar for ourselves. But I think, you know, just honestly, we spent a lot of years where cool things were happening [and] we didn't appreciate it. Winning our first Grammy, we kind of were like, 'We got to win our second Grammy,'" he recounts. "You didn't stop to smell the roses, per se."
"That song is just about that, man. Appreciating the people we have in our lives," says Dan.
In "Bigger Houses," Dan + Shay sing, "The thing about happiness I've found, is it don't live in bigger houses." That line's not just a lyric — it's a sentiment that they firmly believe in.
"Just because you make that money, get a bigger house, ain't going to make you any happier, you know? So appreciate what you have in the moment right now," shares Dan.
"Bigger Houses" is now in the top 10 and ascending the country charts.
On the holiday music front, Dan + Shay's debut festive record, It's Officially Christmas: The Double Album, is out now wherever you listen to music.