Dan + Shay Bonded With Nick Jonas Over Country Music
Dan + Shay + Nick Jonas + Niall Horan?
Never say never. The country duo spent some time with the heartthrob pop stars at this year's Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif., dancing around during Shania Twain's comeback debut and talking about country songs.
Dan + Shay, who are on the pop side of modern country, have worked with Jonas — among other non-country acts — before and apparently made a bond with the singer through country music. Singer Dan Smyers even hints tat the duo is up for any kind of collaboration.
“You never know what kind of collaborations are in the works or in the future," Smyers says in a recent interview with Sounds Like Nashville. “We actually got to do a performance with Nick [Jonas]. We got to sing our first No. 1, ‘Nothin’ Like You,’ with Nick on the ACMs a couple years ago, which was a blast."
"But Niall’s music is awesome," the Dan + Shay singer adds. "Some of his songs are not far off … He spent a lot of time in Nashville writing with all the heavy-hitter country songwriters, so his music’s got definitely a country flair to it and I know Nick is super inspired by what’s going on here in Nashville. We’ve had many a late nights with him obsessing over Tim McGraw songs and Rascal Flatts songs."
If it would occur, the duo wouldn't be the first country act to crossover or feature pop stars in their songs. Artists like Chase Rice, Lady Antebellum and Brad Paisley have all dipped their toes into the crossover realm, with Paisley even working with renown hip-hop producer Timbaland for two songs on his 2017 Love and War album. Florida Georgia Line, arguably the most successful crossover artist still in the country genre, have also become the masters at featuring non-country acts in their hit songs, including appearances from Nelly, Jason Derulo and the Backstreet Boys. Perhaps Dan + Shay could be the next to jump aboard.
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