Dan + Shay Bring Home Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2020 CMA Awards
Dan + Shay won the Vocal Duo of the Year trophy at the 2020 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 11). The award was presented by Dierks Bentley, who noted that, as of that night, the particular CMA Award "has been given out for 50 years. The first time, back in 1970, it went to Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. So this has been a very cool award for a very long time."
Accepting the award via a taped speech, Shay Mooney said, "Wow, man, this is absolutely incredible. So thankful to be here with so many incredible people. I just thank God that we can do music. And in a time like this, I feel like it is very important that we tell the people we love that we love them."
He continued, "I'm so thankful to do this for a living. To wake up, get to do something that I love. Thank to my wife. To Asher and Ames, my little boys watching this at home. I just feel thankful to do this. And thank you so much to country radio, and everyone who has got us here, our fans. This is amazing, man."
Dan + Shay have been an unstoppable force in country music and beyond over the past couple of years, and they proved it at the 2020 CMAs by hanging onto their Vocal Duo of the Year title. They won that award for the first time in 2019, though they'd been nominated in the category every year since 2014.
But the duo have undeniably had a massive couple of years leading up to their Wednesday night win. They've had major success, not only in country music but also outside of it, thanks most recently to their collaboration with Justin Bieber, "10,000 Hours."
The singer was a smash upon release, topping Billboard's Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales charts all at the same time in January of 2020. The song earned three nominations at the 2020 CMAs, giving Bieber his first three nominations at the country-focused show.
Though it's been over a year since the song came out, Dan + Shay and Bieber haven't had a chance to perform it live together yet -- until now. The two acts came together to perform their hit at the 2020 CMA Awards.
Also nominated in the Vocal Duo of the Year category this year were Brooks & Dunn, Florida Georgia Line, Maddie & Tae and Brothers Osborne.
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