As a dad of three, Shay Mooney has had well over 10,000 hours of practice at fatherhood. And in an interview with Billboard on the Winner’s Walk carpet at the 2024 ACM Awards Thursday (May 16), the Dan + Shay band member passed on a little bit of sage advice to one of the duo’s past collaborators: Justin Bieber, who recently announced that he and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child.
“You gotta learn as you go, you obviously pick things up as you go,” said Mooney, who shares sons Asher, Ames and Abram with wife Hannah Billingsley. “Justin, if you’re watching this, you’re gonna do just fine. You’re a good man.”
“It’s gonna be awesome, I’m excited for them,” the singer added of his and bandmate Dan Smyers’ “10,000 Hours” duet partner. “It’s a new journey, and they have a lot of great people around them. I’m proud of him.”
The awards show — where Dan + Shay won the prize for duo of the year — comes just over a week after the Biebers revealed that they’re expanding their family. Hailey debuted her baby bump with the “Peaches” singer in photos taken at what appeared to be a vow renewal ceremony, posted by the Rhode founder on Instagram May 9.
Since then, the model has shared more photos of her bump and revealed her biggest pregnancy craving so far: pickles topped with egg salad and hot sauce. “No, you’re not allowed to judge!!” she wrote on Instagram Stories earlier this week, sharing a photo of the concoction.
Mooney and Smyers are currently closing out their first season on The Voice. They pair make up the first-ever coaching duo on the show, where they serve on the panel alongside Reba McEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper.
“I’ve enjoyed genuinely getting to work with the artists, really digging in,” Smyers told Billboard of their time on the series. “There’s so much thought that goes into the songs. Trying to give those artists their best shot, ’cause that’s an amazing moment for them.”