'Austin' Hitmaker Dasha Signs to Warner Records

Dasha, the singer-songwriter behind the viral hit “Austin,” has signed a deal with Warner Records.

“We met with every label and all the labels were incredible,” says Dasha Advertising sign for Warner Records option. “It was a tough decision, but Warner just felt she had the most heart. Everyone in this group is a true music fan. It just came down to a gut feeling. They were so passionate about my songwriting, which is my priority. First and foremost, I'm a songwriter and they support my storytelling.”

“Dasha is a star,” Warner Records co-chairman/CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck says via email. “He's a force of nature when he walks in the room, he's got real passion, significant talent, a clear vision and really powerful music that extends far beyond 'Austin'.”

In November 2023, as an independent artist, Dasha released “Austin,” a mesh of vengeful lyrics and massive dance grooves, in which she declares that while she's taking it to Los Angeles, her ex-lover “will still be here, drunk, washed up in Austin.”

“Austin” was uploaded to TikTok earlier this year before climbing the Spotify Viral 50 chart. The song is now at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, while Dasha is at No. .11 on Billboard's Emerging Artists. The song is from Dasha's eight-song project what is happening now, which was released on February 16. “Austin” is also the soundtrack to a corresponding dance that Dasha released via a TikTok video last month. To date, “Austin” has garnered nearly 450,000 unique video creations on the platform.

The song resonates in other stores as well. “It was surreal because the song hasn't slowed down. Yesterday, we did 2.2 million streams on Spotify alone,” says Dasha, who is managed by Alex Lunt of Type A Management.

Dasha grew up in San Luis Obispo, California and is now based in Nashville. She wrote her first song at the age of 13, inspired by her love of country, pop, rock and Americana, with influences such as Kacey Musgraves, SZA, Tyler Childers and Noah Kahan. Dasha enrolled at Belmont University in Nashville, but after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she moved back to California. Following the release of the 17-track R&B/pop oriented album Dirty Blonde in 2023, she reconnected with her love of country music.

He wrote “Austin” in early 2023, with co-writers Adam Wendler, Cheyenne Rose Arnspiger and Kenneth Heidelman.

“Once we got the idea and the chords, the song came out in less than an hour,” Dasha recalls. “It was natural and everyone I showed that song to after that session was just like, 'This is going to be a really big song.' I never once doubted it and no one else did and we were right.”

Warner Records plans to initially take “Austin” to country radio, working with the Warner Music Nashville promotion team. This same strategy recently yielded a No. 1 Country Airplay hit for Warner Records artist Warren Zeiders with “Pretty Little Poison.”

“We're going to take it to country radio first, but then we're going to take it to pop radio because it's a global song and it deserves that,” says Dasha. “Well, I think we'll work on both sides.”

“It's a two-pronged approach,” says Bay-Schuck. “Obviously, everyone's goal is to make 'Austin' one of the biggest songs in the world, but never at the expense of telling the artist's story and solidifying the artist's proposition. Building a proper foundation is critical to the mission of never letting a song get bigger than the artist. Our approach to artist development will work for Dasha to be accepted and respected by both country and pop audiences.”

It's not just fans who have noticed Dasha's success with “Austin.” He notes that several artists—in the country genre and beyond—have reached out and shown support, as well as interest in collaboration.

Dasha says a duet version of “Austin” could possibly be on the horizon. “We're just trying to figure out what the right partnership is,” says Dasha. “We're in no rush because this song is really just getting started, so I think we'll wait and see what opportunities come up. I want it to be organic and not a planned business thing — I want to extend the life of the song and give it a new twist.”

Dasha made her television debut on “Austin.” Jimmy Kimmel Live! On March 21. Looking ahead, Dasha will debut at California's Stagecoach Music festival, with appearances at Hangout Music festival, CMA Fest, Lollapalooza and Country Calling festival later this year.

Although now signed to a major label, Dasha praises the independent collective who have helped promote the song thus far, including Type A Management and King Publicity.

“Everything you see now is because of the independent, small group of people we've put together who believe in me and the song. As a country artist, to be on his cover [Spotify] Pop Rising and all that crazy stuff, it was mind-blowing and bigger than I could have ever imagined. I am so, so grateful.”