Biography - Shay Mooney

Who is Shay Mooney?

Shay Mooney is a singer and songwriter by profession, and an American by nationality. He is best known as a member of the group Dan + Shay and shares the spotlight with Dan Smyers. The group rose to fame with their hit song Tequila.

Shay Mooney – Birth, Parents, Siblings

Born James Shay Mooney, his birthday falls on December 27, 1991. He was born and raised by his parents on farms in Natural Dam, Arkansas, the United States. His mother's name is Cindy (Reed) Mooney, and his father's name is Rick Mooney. He has siblings as well- two older sisters - Erica Bankston, who is a real estate agent, and Gabrielle Mooney, who is also a musician.

Education, Ethnicity

For education, Shay Mooney went to Union Christian Academy, a private Christian school. After that, he attended Van Buren High School and graduated from the same. For his Bachelor’s degree, he enrolled at Valley Forge Christian College but dropped out after a year to pursue a career in music.

His ethnicity is English and Irish.

Shay Mooney – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Shay Mooney was in a relationship with Veronica Ballestrini from January 2012 to March 2013. The boyfriend-girlfriend duo had worked together on some tracks in Ballestrini’s Flip Side. 

Shay Mooney then started dating Hannah Billingsley, a former Miss Arkansas. The two were also engaged in August 2016. To share the happy news of a pregnancy, the announcement was made via Instagram on October 8, 2016.

On January 24, 2017, Mooney’s fiancée, Billingsley, gave birth to their son, Asher James Mooney. The couple finally married on October 20, 2017, on Mooney’s parents’ farm in Arkansas.

Since the wedding, they have shared that Hannah is pregnant with their second child, a baby boy. The couple announced the birth of their son, Ames Alexander Mooney, on February 21, 2020.

In August 2022, Hannah shared via social media that she is pregnant with her third child and welcomed son Abram Mooney. They welcomed daughter Aubrey Mooney in January 2025. There has been no news of divorce surrounding the pair.

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Shay Mooney – Career

Early Career

Shay Mooney’s career in music started, much like artists Justin Bieber and Madison Beer, on the YouTube “stage." Along with girlfriend Veronica Ballestrini, also a country singer, they posted the cover and original songs. Their videos reached over 150,000 views combined.

Ballestrini had much help from Mooney with her debut album, Flip Side, which was released on June 17, 2014. Shay Mooney wrote the song Lonely Alone for Ballestrini’s album. Also, Ballestrini’s song Death of Me is about Shay Mooney, and Dan + Shay’s Nothin' Like You is about Veronica Ballestrini. He was signed with Nappy Boy Entertainment music label.

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Mooney Meets Smyers 

Shay Mooney met Dan Smyers, also a promising country singer, on December 7, 2012, in Nashville, Tennessee. They started writing songs the very next day, and in two months’ time, they had many publishing offers. As Dan + Shay, they signed in to Warner/Chappell Music.

With the help of Danny Orton, Rhett Atkins, and Ben Hayslip, Dan + Shay started working on their new album. Their single 19 You + Me was released on October 14, 2013, and was a huge success. Already armed with a hit single, they released their debut album, Where It All Began, on April 1, 2014, and it was produced by Scott Hendricks.

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Albums released

The album’s first single Show You Off was released on May 12, 2014, while the third single Nothin' Like You on February 23, 2015. In December 2015, the latter reached number one on the Country Airplay chart.

Following initial success, Dan + Shay toured with Hunter Hayes and Blake Shelton in 2014 as their opening acts. On October 9, 2014, they began their own tour Ten Times Crazier Tour. The tour started in Minneapolis and ended on October 26, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Dan + Shay toured once more in 2015, the Just the Right Kind of Crazy Tour.

After much touring, they released their second album, Obsessed, on June 3, 2016. This was followed by the release of their third album, Dan + Shay, on June 22, 2018. The album contained the single Tequila, which was a major hit, reaching the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100.  

In August 2018, the musical duo released Dan + Shay (The Vocals). In addition, they have collaborated with Kelly Clarkson and Lindsey Stirling. They released their fourth studio album, Good Things, in 2021.

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Shay Mooney – Awards, Nominations

The duo has had numerous prestigious award nominations, including the Academy of Country Music Awards, Country Music Association Awards, CMT Music Awards, and Grammy Awards, etc.

Among nominations, they are the winners of 2015’s ASCAP Country Music Awards for Most Performed Songs and the 2018 CMT Music Awards for Duo Video of the Year – Tequila.

Their most recent win is the 2019 Grammy Awards. They were able to win the category of Best Country Duo Group Performance and were nominated for Best Country Song at the same 2019 Grammy Awards.

At the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards, Dan + Shay was nominated in six categories. The duo won the best duo prize and was awarded its category Song of the Year and single record of the Year.

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Shay Mooney – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Mooney is estimated to be around $5 million, while the figure on his annual salary is unknown.

Shay Mooney – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Shay Mooney is active on social media sites Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and is followed by several hundred thousand followers and counting.

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