Dan + Shay’s video for “Tequila” was named Duo Video of the Year at the 2018 CMT Music Awards. The ceremony took place on June 6, 2018, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where the fan-voted awards recognized the year’s most popular country music videos.
“Tequila” was a major breakthrough for the duo, made up of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. Released in 2018, the song became one of their signature hits and helped establish them as one of country music’s leading acts. Its music video features a love story involving a deaf couple, with visual storytelling that emphasizes communication and emotion beyond spoken lyrics.
The award was especially notable because it marked Dan + Shay’s first CMT Music Award. They won in the duo category over nominees including Brothers Osborne and Florida Georgia Line. The win is sometimes confused with the show’s separate Video of the Year award, which went to Blake Shelton for “I’ll Name the Dogs.” Dan + Shay also later became associated with other CMT honors, including Group/Duo Video of the Year in 2024 for “Save Me the Trouble.”