Dasha on how the viral hit “Austin” changed her life, advice she received from Jelly Roll

You’ve probably heard rising music star Dasha’s viral hit “Austin” all over TikTok – and the singer would be the first to admit that the song changed her life.

After taking the stage at this weekend’s 2024 CMA Fest, Dasha talked to “Good Morning America” ​​about the incredible success of “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” and shared what it was like to perform at her first stadium show.

“I saw everyone there,” she said of entering the festival stage. “And I was like, ‘Wow… that’s crazy.’ And I just had fun doing it – that’s all you can do. I had a great time.

Dasha released “Austin” in November, and since then it has started a trend that has social media users dancing to it on TikTok. Despite the upbeat melody, the singer stated that it came from a sad moment in her life.

“I wrote this song and I was really going through this,” she said. “I was really heartbroken when I wrote this song.”

In May, she released a stripped-down version of “Austin” to reflect the emotion at the song’s core. “The more I sing it, and the more I sing it in a different light than just with the whole band, I think, ‘Wow, that’s actually a really sad song,’” she said. “It’s pretty cool to shed such light on such an upbeat, shoe-clapping song. It comes from a really real place in my heart and that’s what I wanted to show with the striped version.”

She has since stated that the song changed her life – not only in terms of its impact online, but also on her fans themselves.

“Everything was just different,” she said. “I mean, I meet fans all the time and people say how this song helped them get through a breakup.”

“This girl one day said, ‘I broke up with my toxic boyfriend – literally my abusive boyfriend – because of this song. You inspired me to have the courage to do it,” she recalls. “That’s why I do this s–. It just makes me happy.”

Dasha released her second album “What Happens Now?” earlier this year. The album includes “Austin,” “King of California,” “42” and more. He will make his Grand Ole Opry debut on Saturday.

“It’s the Opry. What the hell?! It’s crazy,” she said. “There’s so much history and culture and getting into that circle – I’ve been dreaming about this for a really long time and it will be really good to step into the country and say, OK, we’re here. Here we go. And I’ll actually be playing a stripped down version of “Austin” there.