Where is the guy who inspired Dasha‘s “Austin” lyrics now? The singer knows, and she’s willing to share details.

• “Austin” is Top 20 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Find it on her new What Happens Now album.
• A viral line dance emphasized the power of her uptempo breakup song.
• Her new track “Didn’t I” revisits heartbreak, but zooms in on the back-and-forth tension that comes with a breakup that won’t stick.

“He’s fully aware it’s about him,” Dasha tells Taste of Country early in this interview.

“Haven’t heard a peep from him in probably over a year,” she adds.

The lyrics to “Austin” are based on a true story, but she tells Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul that she took some creative liberties. So, it’s not totally true, even if the emotions are honest.

“We had like a year-and-a-half situationship,” she says. “So, like, you’re not dating, but basically you’re dating. He really took the not dating party pretty seriously, if you know what I mean.”

“I’ve very much moved on.”

Buoyed by the reaction to her viral hit, Dasha admits her timing was perfect. Part of going viral on platforms like TikTok is truly believing in what you’re creating, she says. Offering what a group of underserved fans need also helps.

“I think what happens in country music is people fall into the mundane, and they see what works and they just keep doing the same thing over, and over and over again,” the California native says.

“And you’re just beating a dead horse. Country music needed a breath of fresh air so badly, and I think me coming in with who I am and my song just kind of smacked it on the bum a little bit.”

Where Is Dasha’s “Austin” Guy Now?

The mystery man may not have called, but that doesn’t mean she’s lost touch.

“He fully has a new girlfriend. I think he’s chilling,” she says. “I don’t think he cares that much, cause I’m not, like, throwing his name out there — no one knows who it’s about because that’s just rude. But I wish him the best, great guy. I just don’t need him in my life.”

Here Are Dasha’s “Austin” Lyrics:

We had a plan, move out of this town, baby / West to the sand, it’s all we talked about lately / I’d pack the car, bring your guitar and Jane for smokin’ / First thing at dawn, you’d cue the songs and we’d get goin’ / But you weren’t home, waited on the porch for ya / Sat there alone / All throughout the morn ’til I / Got a hunch down in the gut and snuck around the back / Empty cans, and I’ll be damned, your s—t was never packed.

Chorus:
Did your boots stop workin’ / Did your truck break down / Did you burn through money / Did your ex find out / Where there’s a will, then there’s a way / And I’m damn sure you lost it / Didn’t even say goodbye / Just wish I knew what caused it / Was the whiskey flowin’ / Were you in a fight / Did the nerves come get you / What’s your alibi / I made my way back to LA / And that’s where you’ll be forgotten / In 40 years you’ll still be here / Drunk, washed up in Austin.

A hell of a bluff, you had me believin’ / How many months did you plan on leavin’ / What happened, bad habits / Did you go back, go batshit / I loved you, how tragic, oh-oh.

Repeat Chorus

Did your truck break down / Did your ex find out

Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.