June’s Artist of the Month is… Dasha

Anna Dasha Novotny, born on February 27, 2000, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. She has released one EP, $hiny Things (2021), and two studio albums, Dirty Blonde (2023) and What Happens Now? (2024). Her song “Austin” reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024.

Dasha grew up in San Luis Obispo, California, and is of Czech descent. She began her involvement in musical theater at age 5 and engaged in ballet and hip hop dancing. She won national poetry contests in school and started playing guitar and piano at 8. Her father, PJ, was her first talent manager and arranged gigs for her at coffee shops and wineries when she was 10. Her older brother Bardo, a guitarist, assisted in music production. Dasha released her first song at 13 after receiving a small recording budget from her father.

She attended San Luis Obispo High School and took part in several theater productions. Dasha went to Belmont University but dropped out to focus on her music career during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has listed Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and others as her influences.

Dasha released her first single “Don’t Mean a Thing” in April 2020 and later signed with Quadio Records. Her songs “Don’t Mean a Thing,” “None of My Business,” and others were part of her EP. In November 2023, she launched “Austin,” which entered the Billboard charts. In February 2024, she released her second album and performed at events like the CMT Music Awards and the Canadian Country Music Awards in 2024.