Dan + Shay Were Caught Off Guard By Their 2018 CMA Awards Nominations

When the 2018 CMA Awards nominees were announced in late August, Dan + Shay were in a unique position: The country duo was among the group of artists announcing the year's nominees from Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville, but they also received nods in several categories, including Vocal Duo, Single, Song and Music Video of the Year.

"It was crazy, because there were these perfect camera reactions of us reading the things, hearing our names called," duo member Dan Smyers recalls to The Boot and other media outlets with a laugh. "Which freaked us out, you know? We had no idea we were gonna get all those nominations. It's such a cool feeling."

The two weren't expecting to clean up like they did when the nominees list was announced. Of course, Smyers adds, they are grateful for the recognition of the hard work they put into their self-titled third studio album, which came out in June.

"We worked super hard on this record, and our fans were in our corner," Smyers continues. "It just felt really cool to be acknowledged by our peers, by our community."

Dan + Shay will be up against impressive competition at the 2018 CMA Awards: Florida Georgia Line, Sugarland, Brothers Osborne and Maddie & Tae are all also nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year. However, Smyers and duo partner Shay Mooney don't see the award as competitive; rather, they're a testament to all of the accomplishments country duos have made this year.

"Everybody's had a great year. Everybody's doing their thing. We're all out on the road hustling and working hard," Smyers says. "So, I mean, win or lose, it's a win. It's an honor to be nominated."

The 2018 CMA Awards are scheduled to air on ABC on Nov. 14, at 8PM ET; the ceremony will take place live at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host for the 11th consecutive year.

The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2018 CMA Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest CMAs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.

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