Up-and-comer Dasha won Female Song of 2024 at the People’s Choice Country Awards in a thrilling upset on Thursday night (Sept. 26).
Dasha’s hit song, “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’),” beat out country veterans and stratospheric superstars in this category, besting artists including Beyoncé, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson and more.
No one was more surprised than the singer herself. Dasha was visibly shocked when her name was called, and as she made her way up to the stage, she still didn’t seem to quite believe that her song won the category at the fan-voted awards show.
“I felt like a rookie this year,” she admitted at the podium, “and you guys have just opened your arms.”
“Austin,” and the line dance that Dasha came up with to go along with it, went viral on TikTok back when she was still a little-known independent artist without a large team behind her.
Read More: Dasha Reveals the Secret Sauce Behind Her Viral Hit, “Austin”
“I wrote this song with a big broken heart with some of my friends,” she explained onstage. “I was independent. I had no label, no management, and everything has changed this year. Thank you to my OG team, you guys know who you are. Thank you. I love you, I love you.”
Dasha’s win is one of several first-time victories that the People’s Choice Country Awards have delivered thus far. Shaboozey also won his first major country award earlier on Thursday night, and Machine Gun Kelly scored an unexpected win when his collaboration with Jelly Roll, “Lonely Road,” earned a trophy.
The 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards aired live from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House on NBC and streamed on Peacock.
2024 People’s Choice Country Awards Red Carpet Pictures
See pictures from the red carpet at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, taken before Thursday night’s (Sept. 26) NBC broadcast.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes