Dasha Talks Masterminding Her Viral TikTok Hit For Uproxx’s ‘How I Blew Up’

When we think of an overnight success, TikTok takeovers and viral dance videos come to mind. Country breakout Dasha has those — her breakup banger “Austin” put everyone’s For You Page in a chokehold just a few months ago — but her chart-topping ascension has a few plot twists you might not expect.

In the latest episode of How I Blew Up, the California native and Nashville transplant maps out her weird and winding journey to the stage. It’s a story that starts with a childhood poetry contest entry before getting sidetracked by a pandemic, a genre switch-up, and a messy ex.

“It’s always been about songwriting for me,” she says, “It’s always been about three chords and the truth.”

Learning guitar at a young age, studying everything from opera to improv, Dasha’s endgame has always been music, but when Covid hit in 2020, she dropped oout of college, ditching the Zoom classes she’d been taking as a songwriting major to get some more real life experience. In LA, she was labeled a pop star, a designation that just didn’t sit right with her lyrical soul. “I felt almost icky,” she recalls of dropping her first album, an alt-pop entry that dropped in early 2023. “This is not me. I’m going back to my roots. I’m going back to country music.”

A genre switch, a cross-country move, and one masterfully-planned social media roll-out later, Dasha is now gracing late night talk shows and performing at music festivals like Austin City Limits. Raw, vulnerable, and fearless in her songwriting, her debut country album, What Happens Now, effortlessly blends her natural talent for penning a killer hooks with playful melodies that merge her two worlds, creating a brand of contemporary country that could convince almost anyone to dust off their boots and attempt her TikTok patented line dance.

Check out the full video above for more of Dasha’s story.

Join Sparkling Ice And Uproxx For ‘Sparkling Sessions’ In Austin, Starring Dasha

SPARKLING SESSIONS
MERLE COOPER/UPROXX

Following the success of Sparking Ice and Uproxx’s “SPARKLING SESSIONS” events in Palm Desert and Chicago over the spring and summer, the two brands are poised to launch the fall edition of their festival season collaboration. Austin’s Secret Garden at the Inn Cahoots will now play host to the party of the season with the SPARKLING SESSIONS Festival Kickoff on October 4th.

The evening will be soundtracked by electronic producer and curator Le Chev, feature soulful R&B duo THEBROSFRESH, and be headlined by country star Dasha. The event invites fans to enjoy the city’s singular music culture before it ushers in the next installment of Austin City Limits and gives attendees a chance to see Dasha in an intimate setting ahead of her headlining festival set that same weekend.

Attendees can enjoy Texas-style must-haves, including free Sparkling Ice cocktails, a barbeque, taco, and quesadilla station, flash tattoos, Texas-style lawn games, and more.

While the event is free and open to the public, an RSVP is required for entry. To attend, you must be approved on Partiful, after which entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis until the venue reaches capacity. RSVP for free here.