Naked Magazine 19

hearts melted when he picked up his guitar for
an acoustic song. Even his dancers caused a riot
in the lobby when they tried to exit the building
after the show. I was impressed.
When we sit down at a booth in the hotel’s
restaurant, I notice Austin is dressed head to
toe in Trukfit, rapper Lil Wayne’s clothing label.
He hesitates before deciding to leave his flatbrimmed
hat on and settles into the cushioned
seat to look at the breakfast menu. Though the
last six months have been non-stop music for
Austin, prior to that he had no intentions of a
superstar career.
Austin originally got involved in music when
he and his best friend Alex began posting
random, silly videos on YouTube. He then noticed
other people on YouTube posting cover songs
and Austin
decided to follow
suit. Though it
did not catch on
immediately, the
more videos he
posted, the more
views he got.
Music wasn’t
something Austin
originally wanted
to pursue. He
received his first
drum set when he
was six years old,
but playing was
never more than
a hobby. “When I
started posting [on YouTube] it was just because
we were bored,” Austin says. Before music eventually
took over his life, Austin played football and
basketball in school. Though he doesn’t have as
much time for it anymore, he still makes an effort
to shoot hoops on his off time.
Considering a music career was never in the
plan for Austin, it’s extremely impressive that a
world-renowned artist like Flo Rida didn’t hesitate
to lend his vocals on Austin’s newest single,
“Say You’re Just a Friend.” Having always been a
big fan of Flo Rida, Austin was honored to have
the rapper featured on his track. As Austin’s name
becomes more well known it’s safe to say more
collaborations will come about.
As his career grows, Austin has been getting
recognized in public. He’s starting to get used
to girls approaching him in malls or shopping
centers. Thankfully, he isn’t at the point where he
can’t leave his house without being noticed, and
he makes himself so available to his fans at his
shows there’s no need to approach him elsewhere.
Back in August he performed at a festival
in New Jersey and stayed outside until every fan
had gotten a picture and autograph.
Those fans who do make it out to his shows
know they’re in for a treat. In addition to Austin’s
killer vocals, they get to experience a full-on
production when it comes to his dancing. “When
I went in to have dance taught to me I sucked,”
Austin, says laughing. After weeks of rigorous
training he nailed it and continues to learn new
moves to perform for his fans. He’s also known
to throw new songs
into his set as a
special surprise for
fans who attend his
concerts.
“ONE DAY MY MANAGER CALLED ME UP AND WAS LIKE ‘YOU’RE
GOING ON TOUR WITH TAYLOR’ AND I WAS LIKE ‘ALRIGHT!”
>>AUSTIN MAHONE