Dan + Shay to join 'The Voice' as coaches as NBC expands country's influence on program

Multiple-time Grammy-winning country duo Dan + Shay recently headlined Night One of 2023's CMA Fest evening activities at Nissan Stadium. The moment has turned out to be one of many worth noting for Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, as they have also been named as the first tandem act to be coaches for the NBC singing competition program "The Voice."

The tandem highlights the massive influence of country music on the program as it enters its 25th season -- which will air in spring 2024 -- as Dan + Shay joins Reba McEntire (who will be in her second season replacing Blake Shelton) alongside R&B and rap-noted performers John Legend and Chance the Rapper.

Smyers and Mooney previously appeared on "The Voice" as "battle advisors" for Shelton in season 20.

Legend and McEntire will join Shelton's wife -- and pop superstar in her own right -- Gwen Stefani and former One Direction member Niall Horan as judges for season 24, airing in fall 2023.

"The show has changed my life in every way for the better and will always feel like home to me," stated Shelton in an October 2022 social media post when announcing that he'd be leaving "The Voice" after two decades sitting in the program's legendary red chairs.

"I have to give a huge shoutout to the singer, the 'voices,' who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent, and a special thanks to those who chose me as their coach," Shelton said in the tweet.

During his tenure on the program, Shelton served as a coach for eight champions, including Season 20 winner Cam Anthony. Other winners that worked with Shelton include Chloe Kohanski, Sundance Head, Craig Wayne Boyd, Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope, Jermaine Paul and Todd Tilghman.

A decade into their country careers, Dan + Shay are the first artists to win the best country duo/group performance Grammy three consecutive times. As well, their October 2019-released, quadruple-platinum status-achieving Justin Bieber duet "10,000 Hours eclipsed a record set a half-decade prior by Florida Georgia Line and Nelly's collaboration for "Cruise" for being the highest-charting non-holiday country song in the history of Billboard's Streaming Songs chart.

In March 2023, the duo announced via social media that they were "working on a new album" and other projects. Subsequently, they appeared at CMA Fest, have told their forthcoming appearances on "The Voice," plus will perform in New York City on July 21 as part of the Citi Concert Series on NBC's "TODAY."

For more information on forthcoming "The Voice" seasons, visit https://www.nbc.com/the-voice.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Dan + Shay to join 'The Voice' as coaches as NBC expands country's influence on program