Anna Dasha Novotny, who performs mononymously as “Dasha”, is one of the latest viral unknowns.
Her music career began alongside the outset of the Covid Pandemic, with her debut single releasing in April 2020. The next few years saw a gradual buildup of singles, and an EP, until she dropped her first album in January 2023.
Late last year, her marketing attempts on TikTok paid off, and “Austin” went viral. Its success helped to reaffirm Dasha’s pivot toward Pop Country,1 so much of this album trends in that direction, though some tracks, like “42” and title track “What Happens Now?”, sound more like they were originally straight Pop songs that have been altered to include more Country elements. On “What Happens Now?”, this is really limited to a fast-paced banjo line which is, I think, a sample from another TikTok audio, though I have no idea what to refer to it as.
Regardless, “What Happens Now?” is a banger, and starts the album off in a lively and catchy fashion. And, for much of the album, “lively and catchy” seem to be the key factors in this album’s creation, including the viral “Austin”. There isn’t much written about Dasha presently — as indicated above, she’s still very much an unknown. So I really don’t have any insight into her writing process, but it’s clear that she has learned a lot about writing catchy, interesting songs over the last few years.
That said, it’s clear she still has a way to go to expand on these skills — What Happens Now? is only eight songs long, and only three of them break the three-minute mark. As a collection, the songs ultimately feel a bit basic in their structure.
They’re too safe.
But she clearly has the raw talent, and she’s really just lacking experience and confidence. There’s some real potential here, and I’ll be interested to see how she grows and develops over the next decade.
At only 22 minutes long, this album really feels incomplete, and it doesn’t really seem to have any driving focus. More than anything, it feels experimental — a young artist trying to feel out what works and what doesn’t. And, for the most part, it’s a real success.
If you’re looking for some Country-infused Pop, give this one a whirl. It’s fun.
Rating: Green
My understanding is that her debut album, Dirty Blonde, which I haven’t heard in full, was a straight Pop album, but the first single released after that album was “Even Cowboys Cry”, which is also on this album.