INTERVIEW: Why Hannah Dasher Is The Next Great Southern Star

Hannah Dasher has had a mammoth year, becoming one of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2021, releasing more singles including the empowering ‘Left Right’ and ‘Girls Call The Shots.’ She sat down to speak to us over Zoom from her home in Nashville about empowering music, Southern cooking, comfort food and how she’s connecting with her fans over TikTok.

 

When people talk about stars, they talk about a magnetic energy that is utterly infectious. Hannah Dasher is one of those stars, who is as warm and delightful to chat to as her music is to listen to – the total package of an artist who knows herself, her own artistry and exactly what it is she wants to say to the world, as her singles ‘Left Right’ and ‘Girls Call the Shots’ prove.

Dasher is about more than just her music. Talking about her ‘dear friend‘ and manager Brooke, Dasher says that she ‘gets the brand, the package.’ The brand encompassing her smash success ‘Stand By Your Pan’ series on TikTok. She talks about the series that has gone viral. ‘I have to credit my mother with the [name] – that was something she said years and years ago, joking around. And so as soon as she did, I went to my lawyer’s office and I’m like, ‘Hey, can we can we trademark this I would love to one day have a … comedy infused cooking show one day –  Jimmy Fallon meets Paula Dean. This began that little spark and then with the onset of COVID and being forced to quarantine, and everyone was cooking and talking about how their grocery bills were ramping up, I just thought now’s the time to really work on my talk and launch this series and see what develops. It’s been a learning process, I’ve learned so much. I didn’t expect it to do as well as it did, but I’m so thankful that it did because the majority of my fans are not country music fans, but slowly and surely, they’re saying, I don’t like country music, but I love your stuff. The label is really trying to help me incorporate more of my music into my food videos. I’m trying to do that without asking too much.’ Her style and brand are bold and marks of genius – from the graphic artwork that accompanies her singles to the songs themselves. ‘Left Right’ is a bold and empowering introduction to the star, as Dasher herself says the track just ‘felt right’ in terms of messaging, reminiscent of Dolly or Reba. 

Her love of music is palpable, touring us virtually around her home rammed with tributes to Rock n Roll and country music – behind her hangs a picture that hung in Waylon Jennings’ office and around her she’s hanging up Graceland-style curtains. Her inspiration is broad and diverse, speaking of her writing, ‘those conversation lyrics have always pulled me in. That’s what I loved about Alan Jackson. That’s what I love about Eric Church – all East Coast guys like me, they were taught the same way. To me lyrics are beyond conversation.’

Moving from the East Coast to Nashville, was not without its trials, Dasher describes the move to Nashville as ‘scary. I tried to put it off as long as I could go because I was scared to death. I knew I’ve always wanted to do it. But I didn’t know how I was going to do it.’ Dasher has taken to Nashville and the country community though – collaborating and writing with a broad swathe of artists, for example Casey Beathard. Describing the experience she says, ‘it was intimidating, but I knew that I’d be selling myself short if I didn’t.’ As engaging as Dasher is, it is hard to imagine her being intimidated by much. ‘I would get approached in bars like losers, and they would start conversation and it would go from there. I literally went as far as making my own T shirts… dedication to the cause.’ 

This year is set to be a big one for the star who will release a half record later in the year. Giving a hint of what’s to come, she says that ‘it’ll be a good eclectic mix of music.’ Though she’s had hits for artists such as Lainey Wilson, this year Dasher will be focussed on her own artistry, and she’s constantly writing with that in mind. ‘I’m hoping that things pick up enough to where I’ll have enough material to go in and record my second album without a gap.’

 

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