How Dasha Danced 'Austin' Into a Massive Viral Country Hit

Dasha’s been the talk of the music world in 2024, officially entering the big leagues and becoming the 101st biggest artist on Chartmetric — thanks to her debut country record. But her rise didn’t happen overnight. The road to viral success is rarely straightforward, and Dasha’s story is full of valuable insights, unexpected pivots, and lessons in leveraging platforms like TikTok.

Dasha’s Genius Branding Switch

While Dasha is known as a country artist, about a year ago you would have said otherwise. She was originally making mid-tempo, acoustic-synth pop under the Chainsmokers' label, Quadio Records, releasing a steady stream of singles and even an album in 2023. Her switch to country music wasn't just a genre change—it was a complete rebrand. Hailing from San Luis Obispo, CA and with connections to Nashville through Belmont University, Dasha's country transition made sense. And with artists like Beyoncé dipping into country vibes, her timing was perfect since the amount of artists taking the fork in the road to country is definitely a trend and she hopped on before the shark jump.

She went all-in on the country look. Cowboy boots, cross necklaces, and daisy dukes became her signature style. She was smart about it too—keeping these elements consistent across all her content and coordinating her outfits between videos, like matching her patterned shirts with her cowboy hats.

She never doubted her move to country music—she simply owned it. By sticking to these consistent visual elements and embracing the culture, fans instantly knew who she was. This mix of strategic branding and genuine connection to the style became her winning formula.

CUNTry

I often talk about how what is in your bio is a conversation that friends talk about online and how you get the word spread about you. Dasha’s branding of Cuntry and selling merch around it was an authentic stroke of genius that aligned totally with her online persona (I am not passing judgement or talking offensively. I am celebrating… I promise). When you have a snappy saying that fans can understand to tell everyone else about you, it is so much easier to grow as even the dumbest audience members can explain it to their dumb friends.

The Viral Moment That Changed Everything

The turning point for Dasha was her song "Austin," which hit TikTok months after its release. Despite being out since November 17, 2023, it wasn’t until early 2024 that the song’s momentum picked up. And once it started, it spread like wildfire. On April 7th, she hit 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify, up from 5 million just two weeks earlier — and just weeks before that, she had been toiling away at 140k monthly listeners. It’s a textbook example of how virality can strike out of nowhere—and when it does, it can transform an artist’s career where you add a half a million monthly listeners per day.

She had the sense to pause the song she was promoting and go all in on promoting “Austin” once it actually hit

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