This article is part of Wide Open Country's Best of 2023 roundup, celebrating the best music, moments and personalities of the year.
In 2020, Hannah Dasher, like nearly every touring musician, was at a bit of a stand-still when it came to her career. With venues nationwide shut down due to the pandemic, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter was unable to play shows, which limited her ability to share her music with fans. But she isn't called Hannah Damn Dasher for nothin'. She's not one to sit around and wait for an opportunity. She turned to TikTok and began sharing another of her talents with her followers: southern cooking.
Dasher was a hit on the app, teaching her followers how to make southern favorites like Getcho Man Chicken Salad, Tomato Pie and Buttermilk Drop Biscuits. Her cooking series "Stand By Your Pan," a reference to Tammy Wynette's timeless "Stand By Your Man," was born. Viewers fell in love with Dasher's recipes, along with her vivacious personality and quick wit. Even those who were previously unaware of her country music career sought out her music; she's frequently likened to a brunette Dolly Parton in the comments.
Dasher, who now has 1.5 million followers on the app, says she never expected the series to be such a hit.
"I was just trying to break into a platform and make the label happy at the time, really just to let 'em know 'Hey, I'm still here, and hey, I work.' But I'm so tickled at the reach that it's given me. You know, I can't walk through an airport or a grocery store or wherever without stopping to take pictures with people," Dasher tells Wide Open Country.
The "That Thing You Like" singer, who recently released the holiday track "Bloody Mary Christmas," says her TikTok presence gave her an opportunity to share a part of her upbringing — something she's passionate about sharing in her music.
Beyond her retro kitchen, Dasher's home is a time capsule of 1970s Nashville, complete with a velvet Elvis and items that once belonged to outlaw country legends.
"My house is kind of a honky tonk, rock and roll museum.We call it a honky tonk Graceland...I've got some pieces that have belonged to some heroes of mine," Dasher says, noting a painting from Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter's office, guitar strings that once belonged to Les Paul and items from Hank Jr. "Those things carry energy."
The artist says her home — and being surrounded by items that shaped and inspired her — is a refuge from the rollercoaster that is the music industry.
"I was raised by old people, if you will. So when I come home from the rat race that we call the music business, it's kinda like walking in into Mayberry," Dasher says of her home. "For me...it's a way for me to kind of decompress — I'm an old soul. And I want it to be an experience for people when they come over and, and experience for myself. It's kind of designed on a dime when I have time, but everything's got a good story."
In turn, over the past three years, her online presence has become a refuge for everyone from homesick southerners to aspiring chefs. And along the way, Dasher taught us all how to make biscuits.
Dasher's The Other Damn Half is available for purchase here.
