Austin Harris Mahone (born April 4, 1996) is an American singer. He was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He became known for sharing videos of pop song covers on YouTube. In 2012, record producers Rocco Did It Again! and Mike Blumstein discovered him. That same year, he signed a contract with Chase Records, which partnered with Republic Records. His first single, "Say Somethin'," and its follow-up, "Say You're Just a Friend" (featuring Flo Rida), both received gold certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2013 single, "What About Love," also earned a gold certification and was his first song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100. These three songs were included on his debut extended play (EP), which was named after himself and released only in Japan. In September 2013, his recording contract expanded to include a partnership with Cash Money Records, an imprint of Republic Records.
In 2014, his single "Mmm Yeah" (featuring Pitbull) received a platinum certification from the RIAA and reached number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest charting song. It was the lead single for his second EP, The Secret (2014), which reached number five on the Billboard 200. After releasing his 2015 single "Dirty Work," he left his previous labels and joined Pitbull's Mr. 305 Inc. The song "Dirty Work" entered the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). This led to the release of his debut studio album, Dirty Work – The Album (2017), which was available only in Japan and entered the Oricon Albums Chart. Before releasing his second album, A Lone Star Story (2023), he released several mixtapes and EPs. This album marked a shift in his music style, moving from pop to country music.
Early life
Austin Harris Mahone was born in San Antonio, Texas. His father passed away when he was 1 year and 6 months old, and he was raised in the Catholic faith by his mother, who was the only parent caring for him. Mahone has ancestors from England, France, Germany, and Slovakia. He went to Lady Bird Johnson High School in San Antonio but left after his first year and was homeschooled by his grandmother.
Career
In June 2010, Mahone started his career by sharing videos on YouTube. He continued to post more music videos, and by January 2011, he began gaining followers online. In October 2011, he released a video covering Justin Bieber’s song “Mistletoe.” Mahone said that Justin Bieber inspired him. He also mentioned other musical influences, including Chris Brown, T-Pain, Ne-Yo, and Tim McGraw.
On February 14, 2012, Mahone released a single called “11:11” on iTunes. The song reached number 19 on the US Heatseekers Songs chart and sold 100,000 digital downloads. On June 5, he released his debut single, “Say Somethin.” The song reached number 19 on the US Pop Airplay chart. Record labels began offering him deals, including Kara DioGuardi, who wanted to sign him to Warner Bros. Records. On August 28, Mahone announced he had signed with Chase/Republic Records. A music video for “Say Somethin” was released in September 2012. In November 2012, Mahone became the new “Teen Ambassador” for Lil Wayne’s Trukfit clothing line. He also filmed commercials for McDonald’s and Hot Nuts, a Mexican snack. On December 3, Mahone released his second single, “Say You’re Just a Friend,” featuring rapper Flo Rida. The song reached number four on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. A piano version of the song was later released. In March 2013, Mahone released a music video for “Heart in My Hand,” which he shot and produced himself. On May 29, 2013, he released his debut EP, Extended Play, in Japan only. The EP reached number 17 on the Japanese Albums chart. Mahone traveled to Japan in June 2013 to promote the EP and announced a three-date Japan tour for November 2013.
On June 10, Mahone released “What About Love” as the lead single from The Secret. The song earned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 66. It was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. A music video, directed by Colin Tilley, was released and won MTV’s Artists to Watch at the MTV Video Music Awards. Mahone was also nominated for Breakout Artist of the Year at the 2013 Bravo Otto Awards. He was later chosen as an opening act for Taylor Swift’s Red Tour. In July 2013, Mahone appeared on “Magik 2.0,” a song by Becky G for The Smurfs 2 soundtrack. It was a version of B.o.B’s “Magic.” On October 17, Mahone began his first headlining tour, MTV’s Artist to Watch Tour. On November 13, he released a non-album single, “Banga Banga.” In December 2013, Mahone became a “Digital and Brand Strategist” for Aquafina’s FlavorSplash, a new line of flavored sparkling water for teens.
On January 26, 2014, Mahone released “Mmm Yeah,” featuring Pitbull, as the second single from The Secret. The song reached number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Two videos were released: a lyric video on January 31 and an official music video on March 13. The lyric video was nominated for Best Lyric Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Before the release of his second EP, promotional singles were released. “U” was the first promotional single on February 14. “Till I Find You” was released on April 18, and “All I Ever Need” on May 13. The Secret was released in Europe on May 23. “Shadow” was released as the fourth promotional single on May 26, and the EP was released in North America the next day. The EP debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 with 46,000 copies sold in its first week. As of November 2014, it had sold 100,000 copies in the United States. On July 25, Mahone began his second headlining tour, Austin Mahone: Live on Tour. A music video for “Secret” was released on September 24.
In 2015, Mahone continued to release music independently. Five new songs—“Say My Name,” “Places,” “Waiting For This Love,” “Someone Like You,” and “Torture”—were released for free download on his SoundCloud page. Mahone starred in Becky G’s music video for “Lovin’ So Hard,” which was released on May 6, 2015. He dated Becky G at the time. On July 1, Mahone released “Dirty Work,” the lead single from his upcoming debut album. In an interview with Billboard, he said the album would be released by the end of 2015. Mahone opened for Sekai no Owari at their Nissan Stadium concert in Japan in July 2015. On September 5, it was announced that Mahone would join T.I. and Pia Mia on Jason Derulo’s Australian tour for three dates starting November 20.
In August 2015, Mahone was chosen as Elvis Duran’s Artist of the Month and appeared on NBC’s Today show, where he performed “Dirty Work” live after an interview with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. From September to October 2015, Mahone released new songs—“Do It Right,” “On Your Way,” “Not Far,” and “Put It On Me”—for free download on his SoundCloud page. In an interview with Teen Vogue on November 13, 2015, Mahone announced a free mixtape would be released before the end of the year. On December 14, 2015, he revealed the mixtape’s title, This Is Not the Album, and announced its release date as December 17. In May 2016, Mahone became a face of Macy’s American Icons campaign. He released two singles, “
Personal life
In 2014, Mahone dated American singer Camila Cabello for a short time. In 2015, he dated singer Becky G, but the two ended their relationship in August 2015. Later, he dated model Katya Elise Henry for about a year, and the couple ended their relationship in February 2017.
Legal issues
On March 22, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought legal charges against Mahone and several other celebrities for promoting investments in companies that deal with digital money without proper permission. The SEC's legal document stated that Mahone was paid 20,000 Bitcoin to post the message, "When $TRX hits 50 cents and $BTT hits 1 cent I'm getting a tattoo of @justinsuntron’s face."
Concert tours
- MTV Artist to Watch Tour (2013–14)
- Live on Tour (2014)
- A Tour for Me and You (2017)
- Oxygen Tour (2018)
- Japan Tour (2019)
- A Lone Star Story Tour (2024)
- Taylor Swift – The Red Tour (2013)
- Bridgit Mendler – Summer Tour (2013)
- Jason Derulo – Jason Derulo Tour (2015) / Jason Derulo Tour (2015)