The wait is over Austin Brown fans! The singer has just released his debut single, “In Betweenin,” and we cannot stop listening. J-14 is exclusively premiering the video, which was shot near Austin’s hometown of Bend, OR and includes a guest appearance from actress, Lilia Buckingham. Watch the video below and prepare to have the song on repeat.
Austin’s story is pretty special. The 16-year-old started singing by two-years-old, even though he had a hard time hearing for the first four years of his life. Instead, he responded to rhythms, beats and vibrations alone, soothing himself by humming. His mom thought he was merely ignoring her when she would call his name until a teacher finally pointed out that Austin might have a hearing problem because he was reading lips. Upon further testing, the family found out that the tubes in his ears had closed at birth. After undergoing surgery to open the tubes, Austin’s hearing was eventually restored to full capability.
Now, the singer has opened up to J-14 about his journey and how he overcame his struggle with hearing to become a major pop star!
J-14: How did you first get into music?
Austin Brown: I first got into music at a very young age when my parents realized I had a passion for it. I have always wanted to pursue music one way or another but I have always hated that idea of being famous. The moment I knew I wanted to really devote myself and career to music was only about 5 months ago!
J-14: Can you tell us a little about your journey to get to this point?
Austin: I originally moved to LA for acting! After I was doing that for a while I started focusing on growing my social media platforms. From there, my current managers reached out to me through email and I starting making my own music right away.
J-14: Can you talk a little about your struggles with hearing and how you overcame that?
Austin: I don’t remember much of when I had hearing issues because I was very young. All I remember is I would not respond much or react to people when they were talking to me, but I would sit in the car in the driveway and listen to songs because I was so in love with hearing and feeling melodies and different rhythms. After a while, a teacher pointed out my hearing issue to my parents and we very quickly went to the doctor and had surgery to fix my hearing issues.
J-14: Does it still affect you today?
Austin: The hearing issue don’t affect me at all anymore. I can hear everything now and continue to work on my vocals and grow as an artist!
J-14: Who are some of your musical inspirations?
Austin: Julia Michaels, Sam Smith, Adele, Ariana Grande, and John Legend.
J-14: What is your writing process like?
Austin: I oftentimes write whenever inspiration pops into my mind, but when I am in the studio I usually start off with just a piano or guitar and just vibe with melodies that sound good with certain chords. From there, I just start writing about a feeling or certain experience that comes to mind.
J-14: Tell us about “In Betweenin.” What’s it about?
Austin: “In Betweenin” is basically about that awkward zone where you are not sure whether or not you are just friends or more than friends.
J-14: Is it about anyone in particular?
Austin: That’s a secret!
J-14: Can we expect an album? Are there more songs coming?
Austin: I’ve been working on a ton of new music recently and still have more to make. I can’t say much yet but we are going to have some major announcements coming soon!!!
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