Dasha spent her childhood on stage in musical theater before a viral TikTok breakup song made her one of country's most unlikely crossover hits.
A theater kid turned songwriter
Anna Dasha Novotny was born February 27, 2000, in San Luis Obispo, California, to a family of Czech descent. She started in musical theater at 5, danced ballet and hip-hop, won national poetry competitions, and learned guitar and piano by 8.
Her father, PJ, became her first manager and booked her at local coffee shops and wineries starting at age 10; her older brother Bardo, guitarist for the band Beauty School Dropout, helped produce her earliest music. She released her first song at 13, performed in high school theater productions, and enrolled at Belmont University before dropping out at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to pursue music full time.
"Austin" and a viral crossover hit
Dasha signed with Quadio Records, a Disruptor Records subsidiary, in 2020, releasing early singles and the "$hiny Things" EP. Her second studio album, "What Happens Now?" (2024), included "Austin (Boots Stop Workin')," released in November 2023 and co-written with a team of five writers.
The song went viral on TikTok, debuted on the Hot 100 at No. 74 and eventually peaked at No. 18, while reaching No. 4 on Hot Country Songs. It is now Platinum in the US and 4x Platinum in Australia. She is now signed to Disruptor/Warner Records.
From the Opry back home
In August 2025, during the Grand Ole Opry's 100th-anniversary year, Dasha made her debut on the Opry stage. On her 26th birthday, February 27, 2026, she released an official live recording of that performance, "Oh, Anna! (Live From the Opry)," saying "stepping into the circle never loses its magic."
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