Dan + Shay on Performing ‘10,000 Hours’ at Justin Bieber’s Wedding: ‘We Had Never Rehearsed It’

When Dan + Shay performed their new collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” at the pop star’s wedding to Hailey Baldwin, it was the first time the song was ever performed live! The song, written by duo members Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, along with Bieber (and three other writers), is from Dan + Shay’s upcoming new record.

“It’s awesome to get to attend their wedding and it was a blast, it was a really good time. And that was like the first place we debuted the song,” Smyers told Entertainment Tonight. “We had never rehearsed it!”

“We obviously recorded it in the studio, but we never played it live in front of actual human beings,” he continued. “[But] Justin was like, ‘Sing ‘10,000 Hours,’ [and] we’re like, ‘OK, we’ll try.’”

Bieber admits he is a fan of country music, which is why Dan + Shay reached out to the pop star, via their shared manager, Scooter Braun, to collaborate on the new track.

“We’ve always wanted to do some collaboration with him and we wrote the song and thought it would be perfect and sent it over to him not knowing what would happen,” Mooney shared. “He loved the song; he’s in a similar place in his life, just got married and so it was really cool to have that moment all together.”

“The timing of it worked out and we still can’t believe that it happened,” he added. “I’m waiting to wake up tomorrow and [find out] like, ‘That actually never happened to you guys.’”

“10,000 Hours” is one of several songs on their next set of tunes that Dan + Shay can’t wait to share with their fans.

“We’re fired up,” Mooney told Zane Lowe from Beats 1/Apple Music. “It’s been a crazy year. It’s like insane to think that we put out ‘Tequila’ just about two years ago. It feels like yesterday. I think for the fans it’s a little different. You know, eight hours after we put out ‘Tequila,’ they’re like, ‘We need new music!’ It’s fun though. I feel like that puts a little bit of pressure on artists.

“For us we try not to get too caught up in it with the, we have to do this, we have to do this, but try to make it organic,” he continued. “But we definitely do have that pressure and responsibility really to our fans and to radio to put out the best material you can. Dan and I try not to put anything out unless we can truly put our stamp on it and say, ‘All right, this is right.’”

“10,000 Hours” just set a new record, with more than 75 million global streams. Download the single on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty / Terry Wyatt