It’s been a record year for Dasha who saw her debut single, "Austin (Boots Stop Workin')" become RIAA-certified Platinum/Gold in the U.S. and seventeen countries, as well as her first headlining world tour sell out. While it’s all been a whirlwind for the 24-year-old, she says it’s one she’s been preparing for her whole life.
LISTEN NOW: Dasha at the Hard Rock Hotel
“I’ve never had a plan B,” she shared while chatting with Audacy’s Mike Adam. “I released my first song when I was 13 years old, I’ve just kind of been planning — like, ‘One day, this is going to work and it’s going to be a really chaotic.’ I’ve been conditioning myself to be OK with this lifestyle.”
While most days she had confidence her dreams would come true, she credits her family and community for getting her through the tough times when she needed an extra pick-me-up. “I have really amazing parents who instill a lot of confidence in me and a wonderful community that tells me ‘keep going, keep going.’ I trust myself.”
Dasha says trusting herself has been a huge part of her success, alongside trusting the process and believing in her music, which she gets inspired to write mostly through journaling. “Honestly, stream of consciousness journaling is a game-changer,” she shared. “I wrote my entire album when I was really being adamant about my morning pages.”
Some peaceful morning journaling isn’t the only place Dasha finds creativity — she’s also not afraid to let the feels flow under the influence of some other substances. “It’s really fun, actually. Tipsy or also really high,” she said of the other mental states she finds success writing songs. “The California in me is unfortunately showing.”
“I actually wrote a lot of the album [What Happens Now?] off the J [marijuana],” she revealed. “The root of the ideas, the titles, the melodies, the feelings of the songs — that flows through me really well when I’m off on substances sometimes. I get really creative and it’s fun to totally lean into it.”
Hear the creativity for yourself by checking out her recently-released album, What Happens Now? Deluxe, featuring hit track, “Austin (Boots Stop Working)” and new track, “Bye Bye Bye.”