The Year in Music 2024: Dasha moves into the house that ‘Austin’ built

In 2024, a newcomer named Dasha metaphorically took both the country and pop worlds to “Austin.” 

“I believed in the song so much, but obviously it had like 3,000 streams, and now we’re sitting at a billion overall, which is insane,” she remarked on the one-year anniversary of the track’s release in November.

And while Dasha created the viral TikTok line dance that propelled the song forward, she’s quick to share credit with her youngest listeners.

“The kids have carried this song this year,” she told ABC Audio. “So many young fans at the shows just riding the rail in their cowboy hats with their dads behind them. It’s so cute. It’s so cool to see, like, this new generation, like, falling in love with country music.”

Quite literally, this was the year Dasha finally got invited to the party.

“Things I didn’t even think that could happen have happened this year,” she reminisces. “[Jimmy] Kimmel [Live!], my Opry debut, playing at the CMT Awards, playing the CCMAs, attending the CMA Awards.”

“I snuck in last year,” she reveals. “I was not supposed to be at the awards show last year, and I finessed my way into the WME after-party, and I got a free tattoo and now they’re my agency.”

Just days after wrapping her headlining tour, Dasha was ready to head home and reflect. 

“I just bought a place. I’m, like, moving in and, like, got a couch two days ago, finally,” she said. “And it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. But I’m really grateful to even, like, have — I mean, sold-out headline tour. That’s not normal. It’s really cool. I’m really, really grateful.”