Dan + Shay debuted a stunning rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Back To December” after receiving an overwhelming response to an “impromptu” cover.
Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney hailed the throwback ballad “such a great song,” when they shared a clip of their rendition on TikTok on September 29. The duo said on Friday (October 17) that it was simply “an impromptu soundcheck cover of one of our favorite [Taylor Swift] songs.” But the reactions that followed led to “the quickest recording-to-release turnaround in our almost 13 year career.
“Huge thanks to our fans who encouraged us to get in the studio and make a full version, and to everyone on our team who worked like crazy to help us make it happen,” Dan + Shay said. “We’re proud of the way it turned out, and hope you love it as much as we do.”
Swift originally released “Back To December” 15 years ago, on her Speak Now album in 2010. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) arrived in 2023, extending the record to a total of 22 tracks with several From The Vault additions. Swift — who released her highly-anticipated 12th studio record, The Life of a Showgirl, earlier this month — announced in a heartfelt statement earlier this year that she officially owns all of her music.
Dan + Shay recently teased more music on the way. Smyers and Mooney explained their unplanned “hiatus” from social media earlier this month. Smyers said, in part, that “we’ve just been buried in the studio and forgot to post on socials.” He confirmed Dan + Shay have a new Christmas song in the works, and “there might also be a couple other little surprises that happen between now and the end of the year. Stay tuned. We’ll be teasing them soon. …We’re fired up. 2026 is gonna be huge for us.”
Watch Dan + Shay’s full “Back To December” cover here: