Austin Mahone first rose to stardom when his Youtube videos, including his famous cover of Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" went viral. When Austin was in town recently, he stopped by the J-14 office to chat all about his rise to the top, the Justin Bieber comparisons, and he even gave us a sneak peek of his new song "Shawty Shawty," below! Tonight, he's celebrating a major milestone: his very first sold-out concert in New York City! J-14: What was your reaction when you found out you'd sold out the Best Buy Theater in 30 minutes? Austin: I wasn't ready for that one. I was in IHOP and when my mom told me I was like, "Wow, that's crazy!"
J-14: You've become a YouTube sensation. How did you get your start on the web? Austin: About two years ago, my best friend and I made a channel just for fun. I saw some people making covers of songs, so I tried it and got some positive feedback. I decided to make another channel strictly for covers, and then I promoted it on Twitter and Facebook.
J-14: And what do you think of people comparing you to Justin Bieber? Austin: I think it's very flattering because I hope to have as much success as him. I think he's a really talented person and artist. My favorite song of his of all time is "One Less Lonely Girl," and my favorite cover that I've done is probably "Mistetoe" because it was so big, and I'm proud of that.
J-14: Rumor has it you and Cody Simpson are buds. Is it true? Austin: When we first met, I had just finished a performance and he came out of nowhere, and I was like, "Yo, Cody!" We shook hands and I wanted to hang out with him for a bit. I'd like to work with him someday.
J-14: What's the hardest thing you've had to overcome to get where you are today? Austin: I was the type of person who would let a lot of things get to me. But in this industry, you can't do that. You've got to blow it off and dust it off your shoulder. I'm still working on that. When people were negative [about my videos] I just kept posting. If I didn't have my friends and my mom, I might not have. They kept me going and I thank them for that.
Watch Austin Mahone sing a preview of his song "Shawty Shawty" below:
By: Kelly Mosser
