Who is Austin singer Dasha? Viral country star on Jimmy Kimmel
DASHA may be an independent artist, but the singer-songwriter is living proof that staying true to your roots can help achieve an unprecedented level of fame and success.
After making music since she was just 5 years old, Dasha finally hit mainstream success when her recent single, Austin, went viral on TikTok, leading to a chart-topping debut country album and an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Who is Dasha?
Dasha is an American singer-songwriter currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.
She was born on February 27, 2000, in San Luis Obispo, California.
Her musical influences include Kacey Musgraves, Tyler Childers, SZA, Noah Khan, and Medium Build.
She also cites Dolly Parton and Avril Lavigne as her childhood inspirations.
According to a November 2023 interview with , her journey to musical stardom began when she was just five years old.
“I first got into the whole world of entertainment when I got into musical theater around age five," she said.
"I became obsessed with performing and storytelling on stage, basically just putting on a show,” she shared.
Dasha reveals she began playing piano and guitar at the age of 8, and performing at coffee shops at just 10 years old.
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Writing lyrics came naturally to her, as she was also interested in poetry.
"I was a really dramatic child, so the idea of writing all of these poems about the boys I liked in class, I loved it, and it was really exciting for me," she said.
"I was already songwriting without knowing what songwriting was," she added.
After graduating high school, she attended a prestigious songwriting program at Belmont University in Nashville, but ultimately dropped out shortly after Covid-19 hit in 2020, to chase her dreams in Los Angeles.
“COVID hit in 2020, and we all got sent home," she revealed.
"Around that time is when I decided I was going to dropout, and move to L.A. because during 2020, I had started posting my songs to TikTok and I had a few viral videos, which was awesome."
"It got me my management. It just felt right at the time,” she said.
After releasing a 17-track debut pop-and-R&B album, Dasha also knew it was time for a change.
“I had this epiphany and was like ‘I have to go back to my roots and start making country music again’, so in the last nine months to a year, I’ve really dove into that."
"I have never had such an amazing time making music before," she revealed.
"Music has never come so effortlessly to me before as it has with this music."
"It’s the beginning of this new country era," she added.
The epiphany – and hard work – paid off, with her now-viral hit single, Austin, achieving more than 40 million streams on Spotify.
“It’s been really wild, but also, I always knew it was going to happen,” she said of the song’s viral success in an interview with .
“Right when I wrote the song, I was like, 'this is going to be a song that puts me in the map.'"
"I knew it. My manager knew it. I feel like my whole team kind of came around being like ‘yeah, this song’s gonna go crazy.’"
After to accompany the song on TikTok, hundreds of thousands of creators also tried their hand at the hit dance.
"It’s just been a wild though to see how fast it’s gone and how people are reacting globally. It’s been blowing my mind, so crazy," she said.
Austin is in over 430,000 videos on the platform.
On March 21, 2024, the song even hit the number five spot on Billboard's TikTok Top 50 list.
Dasha now boasts more than 550,000 followers on TikTok and over 80,000 followers on Instagram.
When did Dasha appear on Jimmy Kimmel?
Dasha is no stranger to the cameras, regularly posting photos and videos of herself and her songs on her social media accounts.
However, she recently celebrated a significant milestone that most independent artists dream of: performing live to audiences nationwide.
Dasha made her television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
She promoted her appearance on her Instagram.
"jimmy fcking kimmel," she , alongside three crying emojis.
"see u on thursday for my late night tv debut," she added.
Her fans were quick to congratulate the rising star.
"OMG DASHAAAA," wrote one follower.
"YESSSSS!!!!! SO PROUDA U BABY!!!!" wrote another user.
"Teach him the dance!" another fan requested.
Wearing a trendy take on the Canadian tuxedo, Dasha rocked an all-denim look on the late night show.
She , Austin, complete with two backup dancers recreating her equally viral TikTok line dance.
When did Dasha's debut album come out?
Dasha may have only recently become a viral sensation, but she's been making music for quite some time.
Her debut album, Dirty Blonde, was released on January 27, 2023.
The pop and R&B-influenced album featured 17 tracks, including Love Me Till August, Dirty, Vegas, Eyeliner, Olivia, and Blonde.
According to , the musical collection "highlights the juxtapositions between good and evil, light and dark."
While the California-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter had released music before, this was her longest and lengthiest project yet.
“I was freaking out a little bit because whenever you put such a big-it’s 17 songs so it’s a very big body of work, that means there’s a lot of minutes to overlook something I didn’t catch or ‘what if this level’s off’ or whatever," the singer said.
"And I was genuinely, I wasn’t freaking out, but I was like ‘Oh God’.”
A little over a year later, on February 16, 2024, Dasha released her debut country album, What Happens Now?
The EP contains 8 tracks, including her hit, viral single Austin, which was released on November 27, 2023.
The complete track list is listed below:
- What Happens Now?
- 42
- Drown Me
- Austin
- King of California
- Talk of the Town
- Even Cowboys Cry
- Share This City
While not as lengthy as its predecessor, the independent artist's country debut shows her returning to her roots, effortlessly blending witty lyricism and catchy beats.
“I really try to incorporate the love of rhyming and poetry and storytelling into my songs because that's what I love about it," she shared with Country Swag.
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Not to be outshined by anyone other than herself, the viral singer also promises that her fans can expect more music coming soon.
Dasha's full-length country album is in the works, and listeners can reportedly expect a release date by the end of 2024.