"I Dare You" is a song by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

band

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

and American group

Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...

. It was released on January 31, 2025 as the lead single from Rascal Flatts' eleventh studio album '' Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets''. The song was written by

Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...

from the Jonas Brothers, Shay Mooney from

Dan + Shay Dan + Shay is an American country pop duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released six albums, '' Where It All Began'', '' Obsessed'', '' Dan + Shay'', '' ...

, Dewain Whitmore Jr., and Tommy English, with the latter having produced it alongside Rascal Flatts' bass guitarist

Jay DeMarcus Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr.; on April 26, 1971) is an American musician, vocalist, record producer and songwriter. He is a member of the country music band Rascal Flatts. Early life DeMarcus was born in Columbus, Ohio. He grad ...

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer, studio guitarist, and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004 ...

, and Jeremy Hatcher. A

country pop Country pop (also known as urban cowboy or even urban country) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends g ...

song, it serves as Rascal Flatts' first release following their return from a four-year-long hiatus that started in 2021.

Gary LeVox Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console l ...

from Rascal Flatts and

Nick Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a ...

and

Joe Jonas Joseph Adam Jonas (born August 15, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Kevin Jonas, Kevin and Nick Jonas, Nick. The group released their ...

serve as the track's lead vocalists.

Background

In a press release, Jay DeMarcus spoke about the song:

We're so excited to kick off this next chapter of Rascal Flatts with this single, working with
Kevin Kevin is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; ; ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicised from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictiona ...
, Joe and
Nick Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a ...
onasis such a blast, they're class acts. I think this song fits perfectly into our catalogue while also showing off something new and exciting, and we can't wait to share it with our fans on the road!

Composition and lyrics

"I Dare You" is a song that primarily touches on issues of love and heartbreak. The narrator in the lyrics is courting a woman to pursue a relationship with him, despite her apprehension due to her previous failed attempts relationships. The lyrics 'I dare you, I dare you to love somebody like me' are presented to the woman in a challenging but motivating context. The first verse and chorus feature lead vocals from

, with bassist

and guitarist

Joe Don Rooney Joe Don Rooney (born September 13, 1975) is an American guitarist. He is the lead guitarist and high octave harmony singer in the country music band Rascal Flatts. In addition to the electric guitar, Rooney plays the acoustic and bass guitars, ...

providing backing vocals and harmonies.

sings the second verse, with his brother

singing the second chorus. LeVox and the brothers trade vocal duties throughout the bridge, with all members of both bands joining together to sing the closing chorus of the song.

Credits and personnel

– lead vocals **

– bass guitar, background vocals, production **

– lead guitar, electric guitar, background vocals *

– lead vocals, background vocals, keyboard, songwriting **

– lead vocals, background vocals **

Kevin Jonas Paul Kevin Jonas Jr. (born November 5, 1987) is an American musician and actor. He rose to fame as the lead guitarist of the pop rock band Jonas Brothers alongside his younger brothers Joe and Nick. Jonas became a prominent figure on the Disne ...

– lead guitar * Shay Mooney – songwriting, electric guitar * Dewain Whitmore Jr. – songwriting * Tommy English – songwriting, production, keyboard, additional engineering *

– mandolin, bouzouki, electric guitar, production * Jeremy Hatcher – production, programming, additional engineer * Ilya Toshinskiy – acoustic guitar * Rob McNelley – electric guitar * Paul Franklin – steel guitar * Jerry Roe – drum kit * Chris Small – digital editing engineering * David Huff – programming, digital editing engineering * Mike Griffith – production coordinator * Sean Moffitt – mixing * Jase Keithley – mixing, second engineer *

Joe LaPorta Joseph J. LaPorta (born January 19, 1980) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, New Jersey. Career LaPorta was born in New York and grew up there; he graduated from New York University with a bachelor's degree in ...

– mastering * Drew Bollman – recording * Andrew Boullianne – recording, second engineering * Austin Brown – recording, second engineering * Derek Bason – additional engineering * Sean Giovanni – additional engineering

Charts

References

{{authority control 2025 singles 2025 songs Jonas Brothers songs Rascal Flatts songs Songs written by Dewain Whitmore Jr. Songs written by Nick Jonas Songs written by Shay Mooney Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Big Machine Records singles Vocal collaborations