Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Nashville’s Dasie. Together we discussed their brand “petty pop”, moving to Nashville, what a Taylor Swift collaboration would look like, and so much more! Check it out below!
1. Hello! Mustard is grateful to have you here. How are you?
I am doing so great! I hope you are too.
2. There are many sub-genres of pop. You classify your sound as “petty pop for nice girls.” How do you define petty pop?
Thanks for asking! I came up with the idea of Petty Pop as something to reclaim. Being petty is generally a bad thing, but I definitely had the tendency growing up to bite my tongue and not stick up for myself. I was very obsessed with being cookie cutter perfect. So now allowing myself to be a bit petty and messy is freeing, ya know? But also petty pop for nice girls, because I can’t help the wholesome energy I know I will always give off.
3. You have to choose between Angie Petty and Tom Petty. Who do you choose and why?
Always Angie Petty, sorry Tom.
3. When did you first start making music? Was there a song or album that inspired you to become a musician?
I first started making music when I was a kid. My cousins and I started a “band” called the Krazy Kousins and I wrote all the songs with my cousins and little brother and I just never stopped writing. I honestly was first inspired by watching Disney Channel. Hannah Montana was (and still is) my hero.
4. Taylor Swift reaches out to you for a collaboration. Which era of Taylor Swift reaches out? What is the song about?
This is an excellent question. Definitely the reputation era. I feel like that fits the petty pop brand. We’d definitely write a song like Delicate. It would be about somebody breaking down your walls you’ve put up after years of your own pettiness and drama.
5. What is your creative process?
I usually have a concept in mind before I sit down to actually write it. Sometimes the concept is an entire theme or sometimes it’s a word or title that I think would be cool to write around. Once I have a melody and lyric down I like, I’ll create a basic demo for it and if I like it enough to release it, I’ll take it to a producer to finish!
6. You recently moved to Nashville. Humans call it the Music City. What is your favorite part of Nashville? What do you look forward to doing in the city?
I’ve only been in Nashville for two weeks, and for one of those weeks I have been stuck in my apartment with COVID. But I did get the chance to go to one Writer’s Round before I got sick and was so unbelievably inspired and blown away by the talent here. It made me so excited to jump in and start working with people. I’m the most excited to have more opportunities to perform.
7. How have social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram helped you as an artist?
Tiktok has been such an amazing help to me as an artist! I love how it can help you connect directly with who would be a fan of your music. I think 95% of the people who listen to my music found it on tiktok. Social media (especially tiktok) can be hard on your mental health, and I’ve definitely gotten my fair share of mean comments, so I just try to focus on having fun on the app and less on chasing virality.
8. On your first single “Hopelessly Devoted To You” you make a statement about your commitment. What inspired this single?
I love how you worded this question. I’m definitely the type who will be- well obsessed with somebody. Maybe more than I should be (especially if those feelings are not mutually reciprocated.) I always really loved the lyrics from Grease’ Hopelessly Devoted to You, and in college I would love to take musical theatre songs and cover them in a pop style, so I thought it would be cool to do for my first single. I took a lot of artistic liberty with the song, but I think I was able to still convey the original melancholy that is in the song and I think it fit really well within the message of my ep.
9. All your singles have led to your EP “Drama.” It tells an engaging story throughout. When did you come up with the concept for this EP?
The concept kind of formed as I was writing songs for it. I wrote the opening track, Welcome to the Opera very first back in 2019 and there’s a lyric “the never ending drama” and I really latched onto that line and just knew the entire project would be called Drama whenever it was released. The track list changed a lot overtime, but I always wanted to make sure that the story was being told as clearly as possible
10. Mustard has observed that some humans love to cause drama. Why is this? Could you provide some examples of drama you experienced? How can humans prevent drama from starting?
If you want to hear about the drama I experienced, you can just listen to the ep I made. About drama in general though, I think a younger version of myself thought it was really exciting to have a lot of drama in relationships and life. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve really learned the benefits of stability and peace. So my advice would be to stop romanticizing things that are bad for you and your own toxic traits.
11. You’re collaborating with Angie Petty on your upcoming single “Theatre Major.” Is this single connected to the follow-up of your EP? Do you or Angie have an background in theatre?
The single isn’t directly connected to my ep. We actually wrote the song a couple months before I released it. But as we were developing it, I was pretty stoked on the connections between the title of my ep and the next single, I also super loved that I defined my genre as “petty pop” and I was collaborating with “Angie PETTY.” As far as our background, I was a big theatre kid in high school, and we both were music majors in college!
12. What can fans expect from your upcoming single “Theatre Major?”
They can expect a sad song that you can dance to. I loved how we were able to blend both of our styles so well!
13. What’s next for Dasie after Theatre Major?
I have one more collaboration coming out this year that I’m very excited about! I might release a couple more singles, but for now just getting back to writing a lot and getting settled in this new city!
14. Where can readers listen to your music?
Anywhere you want to listen! Spotify! Youtube! Apple Music! Itunes! Take your pick, I’m not picky 🙂 Go check out Theatre Major and the rest of my music! We’re just getting started!
Music Shelf With Mustard 