Dan + Shay Strike a Chord With Powerful ‘How Not To’ Video [Video]
Dan + Shay's latest single "How Not To" takes on new meaning in their vivid music video, which plays out like a short film.
Directed by P/Tracy, the five-minute clip begins at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where several addicts are gathered to discuss the struggles and victories that life as an alcoholic can often bring.
One man who has been sober for over three years shares the news of his recent promotion. Meanwhile, a woman named Sophie is struggling with her first day of sobriety. A joke she makes at the meeting only gets one laugh as she tells her story of alcoholism. Then, her life as an alcoholic is displayed onscreen with another man's she is later introduced to at the meeting.
The all-too-real struggles are brought to life as Sophie tries to manage her day-to-day as a waitress sneaking sips of alcohol from her water bottle. Watch the video above to see the outcome.
"How Not To" is featured on Dan + Shay's sophomore album Obsessed, and is one of the first songs they've recorded that they didn't write. The song was written by Adam Hambrick, Paul DiGiovanni and Kevin Bard, and Dan Smyers previously told Taste of Country that they always let the best song win when it comes to the decision on what tracks to record.
"We don't have so much pride to say we're the best songwriters or we're the only ones who can write Dan + Shay songs," he explains. "There are a ton of incredible songwriters out there, especially in Nashville, and it's an honor for us to be accepted into this community and to have people willing to give us their songs, and to let us interpret their words, and their emotions and their stories. To have songwriters send us songs and for us to be able to put those on our record is a huge honor for us. We feel lucky to even be able to do that."
The duo have a lot going on personally, too. Shay Mooney got engaged in August, and in October he and his fiancee, Hannah Billingsley, revealed they are expecting their first child. Over the Christmas holiday, they revealed the baby's gender and the name they have picked out. Dan Smyers announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, Abby Law, in November.
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