Dan+Shay Celebrate First Chart-Topper With “Nothin’ Like You”
Pictured (L-R): Co-writers Chris DeStefano, Dan + Shay’s Dan Smyers & Shay Mooney, and Ashley Gorley. Photo: Ed Rode
Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville duo Dan+Shay recently topped the country charts for the first time with “Nothin’ Like You.” ASCAP and BMI welcomed members of the Nashville music community to celebrate the song, penned by Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, alongside Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley. The song marks DeStefano’s 13th No. 1, and Gorley’s 23rd. The song also marked DeStefano’s second No. 1 as a producer.
The party was held March 16 at South in Nashville.
Warner Music Nashville president/CEO John Esposito recalled just how adamant he was that the duo join the Warner family, adding that that during a five-hour meeting, he told the duo, ‘You’re not leaving here until you are Warner artists.'” He also added that he even took them home and had his wife cook dinner for them. “They had to be Warner artists,” he added before thanking Dan+Shay’s manager Jason Owen, as well as attorney Jim Zumwalt.
Among those celebrating were ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, BMI’s Perry Howard, Combustion Music’s Chris Van Belkom, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Josh Van Valkenburg, Warner Music Nashville’s Scott Hendricks, and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing’s BJ Hill, as well as representatives from Country Aircheck and Country Radio Broadcasters.
Avenue Bank made a donation to Proverbs 1210 Animal Rescue Mission on behalf of the writers.
Howard joked, “No. 1 parties are like soup kitchens for struggling songwriters.” For Dan+Shay, it was a symbol of how far their careers have come. Mooney later recalled how, earlier in their career, the duo would take meetings with anyone who offered a free meal.
Smyers thanked his musical cohort Mooney, as well as girlfriend Abby Law, whom Smyers said played a part in picking “Nothing Like You” as a single: “At one point, she was tallying the number of mentions that the song got on Twitter, to help convince us this should be a single.”
Gorley was also quick to commend Dan+Shay’s songwriting talent. “They are not easy to write with, in a good way, because they don’t settle. They will not leave a lyrical or melodic stone unturned, and that is refreshing. Also, when Shay is singing a melody back to you, it always sounds great, because he’s got one of the best voices. So if I sing a melody and it sounds good, then I know it is good,” he quipped.
Co-writer DeStefano commented, “This still feels like my first No. 1. I couldn’t be more proud to share it with three of my best buds. Their work ethic is nonstop.”
Dan+Shay is currently climbing the charts with their next single, “From The Ground Up.”
Pictured (L-R): (front) ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, DeStefano, Smyers, Mooney, Gorley, BMI’s Perry Howard, (back) Combustion Music’s Chris Van Belkom, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Josh Van Valkenburg, Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito and Scott Hendricks, and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing’s BJ Hill. Photos by Ed Rode for ASCAP.
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