10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Dasha, Yard Act, Ole 60, Charlotte Cardin & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the March 16, 2024-dated charts.

Dasha

The up-and-coming singer-songwriter reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with her breakthrough viral hit “Austin.” The song, released in November on Version III, debuts at No. 31 on Hot Country Songs with 4 million official U.S. streams (up 28%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 79%) in the March 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate. She also rises 43-29 in her second week on the Emerging Artists chart.

The song appears on Dasha’s new eight-track LP What Happens Now?, released Feb. 16. Before that, she released Dirty Blonde in January 2023, via Quadio Records.

Dasha is based in Nashville, via San Luis Obispo, Calif. Gains for “Austin” have been sparked by TikTok, where she boasts over 400,000 followers. Seemingly boosted by the rising wave behind Beyonce’s country crossover smash “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the song soundtracks a line-dance trend started by the artist. To date, the song has been featured in over 200,000 videos on the platform. Last week, Billboard reported that in the tracking week ending Feb. 15, in which Beyoncé released “Texas Hold ‘Em” midway through, “Austin” vaulted from 82,000 official on-demand streams the week before to over 830,000—up 916%. The next week (ending Feb. 22), the song grew 182% to 2.3 million.

Yard Act

The rock group, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, is officially a Billboard-charting act for the first time thanks to its sophomore LP Where’s My Utopia? Released March 1 on Zen F.C./Island Records UK/Republic Records, the set debuts at No. 23 on the Tastemaker Albums chart (which ranks the week’s top-selling albums at independent and small chain record stores).

The band preceded Utopia with its 2022 debut The Overload, which reached No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. The group spoke to Billboard at SXSW in 2022 following the LP’s release and chart debut. “We put ourselves through the ringer that week because we got informed that we had a shot at a No. 1 album against Years & Years on their third album,” vocalist James Smith said. “He’s a sort of national treasure in the U.K., Olly Alexander, and rightly so, so we were the underdogs and we thought we’d give him a run for his money. We ended up at No. 2 and Meat Loaf threatened us with his passing, too. Hog passed us, but we kept Meat Loaf at bay, which was good. It was just funny. We didn’t expect to be getting a high charting album and then it all just started running off, and so it’s just loads of fun for us.”

Yard Act comprises Smith (vocals), Sam Shipstone (guitar), Ryan Needham (bass) and Jay Russell (drums).

Ole 60

The six-piece reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with its debut four-track project Three Twenty Four: The EP. Released in August 2023, the set debuts at No. 25 on Heatseekers Albums (which ranks the most-popular albums of the week by new or developing acts) with 3,000 equivalent album units earned.

Ole 60, from Kentucky, released the EP via Grey Area/Red Door. Its single “Smoke & A Light” has recently gone viral on TikTok, as many creators have used the song to soundtrack their experiences of being cheated on in relationships. The song has been featured in over 10,000 clips on the platform to date and generated 2 million streams March 1-7, up 15%. The week before (Feb. 23-29), it surged from 808,000 streams to 1.7 million, a 115% gain.

The virality of the track helped Ole 60 sign with UTA for worldwide representation. The band comprises Colby Clark, Jarrett Davis, Dustin “Catfish” Fuqua, Ryan Laslie, Aden Wood and Jacob Ty Young. The group is slated to support Dylan Gossett on his No Better Time Tour, as well as Charles Wesley Godwin.

Will Moseley

The Hazelhurst, Ga., native arrives on Billboard’s charts with his breakthrough song “Gone for Good.” The track debuts at No. 13 on Country Digital Song Sales with 2,000 downloads sold in its first week of release, while Moseley himself opens at No. 49 on Emerging Artists.

Moseley performed his original track for his audition on ABC’s American Idol, which aired March 3. In a spotlight video on the episode, he described his upbringing and playing college football at Maryville College in Tennessee. “Football was a way of life,” he said. “It was eat, sleep, breathe, wake up, repeat. I loved it.” In the clip, he says he suffered three concussions in two seasons, forcing him to cut his football career short. The pivot inspired him to learn guitar. “It’s been a blessing in disguise,” he said.

His audition impressed judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, and his subsequent performance earned him a golden ticket to the next round. “We knew from the very first note,” Perry said of his performance.

Sheer Mag

The Philadelphia-based rock group lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time with its third LP, Playing Favorites. The set, released March 1 on Third Man Records, debuts at No. 17 on Tastemakers Albums. The set is Sheer Mag’s first release on Third Man. The group released two previous albums, Need To Feel Your Love (2017) and A Distant Call (2019), along with three EPs.

The band comprises Tina Halladay, Matt Palmer and Hart and Kyle Seely. The North American leg of its headlining tour kicks off March 29 in Washington, D.C. The act also has a string of European tour dates lined up in August.

Charlotte Cardin

The Canadian singer-songwriter is already a seasoned hitmaker in her home country, but she notches her first U.S. chart hit thanks to “Confetti.” The song, released on Atlantic Records, debuts at No. 34 on Adult Pop Airplay (up 170% in spins). The song appears on Cardin’s second full-length, 99 Nights, released last August.

Cardin, who records music in both English and French, has notched numerous chart hits in Canada. She has tallied 13 entries on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100—“Confetti” became her first top 10, reaching No. 10 last September. She has also charted 10 songs on Canada AC, six on Canada Hot 100 Airplay, four on Canada Top 40 and two on Canada Rock.

Cardin has won four Juno Awards, including artist of the year in 2022. She boasts six nominations—the most among all acts—at the upcoming ceremony, to be held March 24: artist and songwriter of the year; the Juno Fan Choice Award; album and pop album of the year, for 99 Nights; and single of the year, for “Confetti.”

Cardin, from Mount Royal, Quebec, has been releasing music since 2013. Before 99 Nights, she released her first full-length, Phoenix, in 2021.

Kitchen Dwellers

The Montana quartet arrives on Billboard’s charts with is new studio album, Seven Devils. The set, released March 1 on No Coincidence Records, doesn’t just become the band’s first chart entry, but it’s also its first No. 1, as it launches atop the Bluegrass Albums chart with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week. The band, whose music blends elements of bluegrass, folk and rock, also starts at No. 32 on Emerging Artists.

Kitchen Dwellers comprise Torrin Daniels (banjo), Max Davies (acoustic guitar), Joe Funk (upright bass) and Shawn Swain (mandolin). The band has released three other albums—Ghost in a Bottle (2017), Muir Maid (2019) and Wise River (2022)—along with several live LPs. The group has a run of North American tour dates lined up through September.

BrhyM

The high-profile group scores not just its first overall Billboard chart entry, but its first No. 1, as its debut LP Deep Sea Vents debuts at No. 1 on the Classical Crossover Albums chart. The group released the set via Zappo Productions/Thirty Tigers.

BrhyM is a new collaboration between Bruce Hornsby and American chamber ensemble yMusic, which comprises Hideaki Aomori (clarinets), Gabriel Cabeza (cello), CJ Camerieri (trumpet), Rob Moose (violin), Nadia Sirota (viola) and Alex Sopp (flute).

Hornsby has a longstanding history on Billboard’s surveys. He has charted nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including his 1986 No. 1 “The Way It Is,” as well as two other top 10s (all with the Range). Plus, he has logged 10 albums on the Billboard 200, all since 1986; he and the Range won the best new artist Grammy Award in 1987. Over his career, the Virginia native has traversed numerous styles, leading to appearances on Billboard’s Americana/folk, bluegrass, country and rock charts, among others. With Deep Sea Vents, he earns his first No. 1 since Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby topped Bluegrass Albums for 15 weeks in 2007.

As for yMusic, the collective has charted four sets on Classical Albums since 2014, including the No. 1 So There, with Ben Folds, in 2015.

BrhyM has a string of North American tour dates that run through April. Hornsby has even more dates, with The Noisemakers, scheduled through October.

Autone

The Sydney-based DJ/producer (real name: Brett Austin) is scaling Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to his collaboration with Dannii Minogue, “Thinking ‘Bout Us.” The track, released Feb. 2 on Central Station Records, debuted at No. 36 on the March 9-dated Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart and rises to No. 31 on the latest list (up 25% in spins).

Autone has previously collaborated with Jolyon Petch, WasteLand, Amanda Wilson and Kelvin Wood. He is also a member of DJ duo Oxford Hustlers.

Do2

The duo arrives on Billboard’s rankings with its breakout single “Mi Fortuna.” The song, released in September on Garmex Music, debuts at No. 25 on Tropical Airplay (up 3,933% in audience). Do2 comprises brothers Jose Juan and Mario Lora. The pair has released over two dozen songs on streaming services, all since 2018.

Xander Zellner

Billboard