Brothers Osborne Were Sure Dan + Shay Would Win CMA Vocal Duo

Brothers Osborne were prepared to send their congratulations to Dan + Shay after the 2018 CMA Awards, so they were surprised when they were named Vocal Duo of the Year instead.

Though Brothers Osborne had won the award twice before, they didn't go into the show with a speech readied. When TJ asked his brother if he knew what they're going to say if they did win, he responded: "I don't know, but I have a congratulations tweet to Dan + Shay on standby," TJ recalls, laughing.

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Wednesday's show (Nov. 14) brought their third win in the category, but backstage, the duo of John and TJ Osborne were singing the praises of their fellow nominees Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. The "Shoot Me Straight" hitmakers praise the the "Tequila"-singing duo as "good people" who are deserving of the all the success they've achieved.

"I am genuinely just as shocked as the first year we won one of these," TJ confessed to media.

"I don't really know why we're up here holding one of these," John added "The duo category can go any which way. You look at us comparatively speaking, we're somewhere in the middle in terms of numbers."

While they're still in shock over the win, the duo attribute their success to the humble business model of working hard and being kind to others. "I think that's why we have these. We work hard and try to be respectful of people around us," John remarked.

Angry about the loss, Dan + Shay fans turned to social media, saying they were robbed of well-deserved recognition. "Tequila" gave the duo resounding achievements in 2018 — it was a crossover hit and the most-streamed country song of the year, accumulating 150 million streams. In addition to Vocal Duo of the Year, the fast-rising stars were also up for Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year. They did not win in those categories, either.

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