Austin Mahone on Fame, Music, Nashville & What's Next Ep123

 This week on Happy Hour with Deb, we're joined by global multi-platinum recording artist Austin Mahone, alongside co-host Adysen Malek, for an unforgettable conversation about his incredible journey from viral teenage sensation to one of music's most recognizable artists.

Austin opens up about what it was really like becoming famous at such a young age after his YouTube videos exploded online, the challenges that came with growing up in the spotlight, and how those experiences shaped the artist he is today. We also talk about his move to Nashville, rediscovering his country roots, meeting some of his biggest musical idols, and how his love for country music has influenced this exciting new chapter of his career.

From touring with some of the biggest names in music to creating music that feels more authentic than ever, Austin shares where he's headed next, what's inspiring him today, and his plans for the year ahead. Whether you've been following him since the beginning or are just discovering his music, this episode offers an honest, fun, and inspiring look at the person behind the hits.

Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment with your favorite moment from the episode! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

First thing I did was I give him a big hug and I was like, after I did that, I was like, shouldn't have done that.

SPEAKER_04 0:06

He probably was so happy to think that he had such an influence on your music. That's a huge compliment.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

But I mean at the same time as George Strait, I'm sure he deals with people trying to hug him all the time. And like, you know, it's it's like a man-to-man thing. Like at least just lead with a handshake first or something. But like I went in for the hug right away.

SPEAKER_07 0:24

Coming in for the hug. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

It was like mid-tight hug. I was like, oh, nice to meet you, George. My bad. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_04 0:43

Hey, it's Deb. It's Happy Hour with Deb. I have an all-star lineup here today, ladies and gentlemen. I got beautiful assistants sitting in the co-host chair with me. And Austin Mahone.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Hi.

SPEAKER_04 0:54

Honestly, it's such a pleasure to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Great to meet you too.

SPEAKER_04 0:58

How are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 0:58

I'm feeling great. Good.

SPEAKER_04 1:00

I'm so glad. Good. Well, you have quite the extensive history.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:04

Take me back to the first of all I know you're from Texas. Yeah, standards. I'm from Texas. I'm from Texas.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

No way.

SPEAKER_04 1:10

It's all girls. It's an all-Texas show. I'm from Frisco.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Okay. I've never been there.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Oh, you've got to be. You've got to go either. God, what's wrong with you guys?

SPEAKER_00 1:17

What is like the best thing about Frisco that you like attracts tourists or whatever?

SPEAKER_04 1:21

When I um grew up, it was two dirt roads in a feed store. Now it is the metropolis. So the Dallas Cowboys have, I'm not a Cowboys fan, I'm a Philadelphia Eagles fan, just for my fans that are that are watching. For my fans that are watching, just so you know. Um I lived at the Star. It is the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters. It's not where they're where their stadium is, but the ACMAs are held there.

SPEAKER_06 1:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:47

Um great restaurant. It's very, it's it people come from all if you love sports, people come from all over the world to see it. All right. So we'll go.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:55

We'll all get a lunch together.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

We'll love to go there. What about you? Where are you from?

SPEAKER_05 1:58

I'm from about two hours south of Houston, Edna, Texas, and it is still the feed store. Got thousand dollar generals, I swear. Oh no. God bless Dollar General makes the world. And you're from San Antonio? Yeah, San Antonio. I lived there. I went to Lee High School for about a year. I went to Misa, the little art school there.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Okay. I went to Johnson High School for two weeks. Love it. And then what happened? I became homeschooled after that because that was when my YouTube stuff was like starting to really pop off. And so I lived in Laveria for like three, four years. If you guys ever heard of that spot. Laverne, Texas, it's like an hour 45 from San Antonio. And that's where I got my YouTube started.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

And uh how that started, like take me back. Were you like, I'm just gonna become a YouTube? Like, how does it just hit you one day?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Well, when you leave when you live in a feed store type of town, there's like not anything to do. So you're just like, what do I do after school besides practice football or go to Sonic and then then what? Like I'll go to my friend's house, and uh that's when YouTube just kind of started popping off really barely at all. And then me and my friends would just watch it, and then we were like, why can't we just start our own channel and I'll just go for it? Like, we didn't have any idea what we wanted to do or like nothing. We were just like, let's start a channel and we'll just figure it out. And so we would post videos of us like wrestling or playing basketball, and that's amazing. They would not really do anything, and then I put up a singing cover and it like got more views, and I was like, Okay, there's something you read in here. No, it was a cover of uh A Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney. Wow, and that's kind of just what got us started.

SPEAKER_04 3:30

So really wow. So how did it blossom into what you have now? Because this is big stuff.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Well, from that cover, I noticed it got way more views than the other random videos of us like walking on Legos and like do just doing whatever.

SPEAKER_04 3:42

Like first of all, if you walked on Legos, I'm proud of you.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

We were doing anything to get the views back then, and then just a simple cover like got way more views, and I was like, all right, let me do some more of these and let's see what happens. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 3:54

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

So what did you I was like 13, 14 years old at that time? Wow, what if you're gonna do that? Did that for two years? Uh my mom has always been my biggest supporter. Uh my dad passed away when I was one. Oh, I'm so sorry. It's really just been me and my mom, but she's always you know helped me follow my dreams and has never really told me like you shouldn't do that. You can't do that.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Like, moms are superheroes, they are, and it worked out. It worked out to your advantage, right? Yep. I want to see you walk on Legos. First of all, I even see Legos now. I'm like, that's an ankle break wave.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Oh, yeah, it was bad.

SPEAKER_04 4:25

That is crazy. So, what happened after that? When you went to school there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

So then, so uh I did that for two years from 13 to 15, and uh moved back to San Antonio with my grandparents and only did my freshman year in high school, public school, and then I moved to San Antonio again with my grandparents, went to Johnson for two weeks, and that was when I was getting like 10 million views on each one of my videos, and people were just like, Oh my god, you're that guy from YouTube. And I'm like, Oh my god, what's up? I just got here, I don't know anyway.

SPEAKER_04 4:53

That age, like, what does that feel like?

SPEAKER_00 4:55

It was it was just very surreal because I never really I mean, I always wanted it to be that big, but I just you know, you don't really think like it could happen that time.

SPEAKER_04 5:03

I mean, how can you be that young and have somebody recognize you on the street? That's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Yeah, and I I had moved schools like four times, like in that time of growing up. So like I was always like a new kid in school, and then that last school was like, Oh, you're new and everyone knows you, but you don't know anyone, and it was just kind of weird for me.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

Yeah, I was gonna say that has to be really hard.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

Yeah, it was really hard. People were pulling me mid-class, like, hey, can we just get a quick quote for the paper of the school real fast? Like mid-class. Wow. I was like, this is just that's really rocky. I don't know a single person here, and everyone's like, You're that guy. Right. So I was like, I'm just gonna become homeschooled.

SPEAKER_04 5:33

That is so hard. I can't even imagine. Like you're at the years where you want to make friends.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Yeah, never went to prom, never had like any real high school experience, never did my sophomore year, like kind of like started homeschooling, and then I literally went on tour with Taylor Swift at the same time, and I was like, I don't know if I'm trying to homeschool right now.

SPEAKER_04 5:51

Like traveling the world, like how do you get the call that says you're touring with Taylor Swift?

SPEAKER_00 5:57

You you just put the work in and be consistent, and uh the the door just opened, you know.

SPEAKER_04 6:02

Wow, that's beautiful. How was it? What was it like working with Taylor Swift?

SPEAKER_00 6:05

It was it felt like a dream, honestly. Because I went from playing, finally playing like on my own, um, you know, 400 cap rooms in Houston or you know, Orlando, Chicago, random things, getting flown out for birthday parties, like random small events. Right. Even though 400 cap's not too too small, but you know, not not bad for starting out. And I went from 400 to Taylor's being like, we're gonna do 60,000 a night, only stadium shows, let's go. And I'm like, surreal. How did I get here? I started two and a half years ago.

SPEAKER_04 6:35

I was just walking on Legos, literally, like just got done walking on Legos. I know that is so crazy.

SPEAKER_00 6:42

Yeah, super crazy.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

So, how'd that feel? Like, that's crazy to me.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Just so surreal, like just being on a stage in front of 60,000 people a show, and you know, being co-signed by Taylor Swift and opening up for Ed Shear and Ann Taylor. Now you're like a household name, right? It's just it's crazy. Like, just from thinking about where I started to how I got here, it's like that is not how I you really can't accomplish things if you just put your mind to like doing the work and being consistent, like it's that easy.

SPEAKER_04 7:11

I am a life coach and I am a therapist, and I tell people that the key to life is consistency. Yeah, it's not perfection because none of us will ever hit that. But if you can be consistent in anything, you can do anything you want in this world.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

That's true.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

Is your mom like holy smokes?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Yeah, she she like I said, she's still, you know, my biggest supporter to this day, and I'm blessed to have her in my life and blessed to be honest.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

You are very blessed, and she's very blessed to have you as well.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:37

That's great. Yeah, do you ever feel like your dad's somewhat with you?

SPEAKER_00 7:40

Yeah, I think all the time.

SPEAKER_04 7:42

Do you? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

You know, I think about you know, when people leave this earth a little too early and and not like, you know, leaving like they feel like they hadn't finished what they started, like I feel like they stick around. So for my dad to have left when I was just, you know, getting my life started, I feel like for some reason I'm gonna have to be a good one. He's probably so proud of you. I think so. I'm sure he is.

SPEAKER_04 8:02

I'm sure he is. So you moved to Nashville.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:05

Uh two years ago, didn't I?

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Two and a half years ago, yep.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

And how's that?

SPEAKER_00 8:09

It's great. I mean, it's funny because before I moved to Miami when I was 15, so I had like two choices. Like when I was fifteen, signing to labels and meeting people, it was either move to Nashville or start here, or or move to Miami and start there. And just at that time, Miami felt like more of like a better opportunity. Yeah. Even though my mom has always wanted me to be here. So for me to come live in Nashville 12 years after I we moved to Miami, wow, that's how Miami here. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:34

That's how wow. Do you miss Miami at all?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

You know, I I do, but not enough to be like, I gotta go back all the time. Like I need my Miami fix. Like, you know, like I I was there for 12 years.

SPEAKER_04 8:44

I got it I feel like that is what the the quintessential statement for Miami. I need my Miami fix.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Yeah, like I do miss being able to just tan all the time. Here I'm not able to just lay out in the sun.

SPEAKER_04 8:57

I have to tell you, I love that Ritz Carlton there on the corner and and they have tanning butlers. Do you know what that means?

SPEAKER_06 9:03

Ooh, what is that?

SPEAKER_04 9:04

Stop it. I'm gonna teach you guys some luxury. I don't have 11.5 million followers, but I'm gonna sh I'm gonna school you guys and some things. So outside they have very good-looking men that have white teeth, you know, the Ritz Carlton's all about class. They're called tanning butlers, and they will come over and tell you it's time to reapply sun. And they've got a whole belt, like a tool belt. You have got to go next time you go. I have to go. You have to. They have a whole tool belt of like sunscreen and and they literally they work for dips. I mean, what a great job. If you're like a kid in a summer job, a tanning butler. And my daughter loved Miami when she was little, and my ex-husband and I used to take her there all the time. And we always stay at the Ritz Cart only because they do shit right, right? We go places where they do shit right. Yeah, of course. Um they have lit, you can buy a tanning butler t-shirt next time you're in there, go buy one. Yep, and then send me a pick when you wear it. I want one too. I mean, isn't that a great idea though?

SPEAKER_00 10:00

Yeah, I definitely want to try that, like, no doubt.

SPEAKER_04 10:02

Yeah, you do. Next time you go, make sure you rent a cabana. It comes with like two bottles of champagne and like this fruit tray the size of this table. Like they do it right. That was my always my favorite thing.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Wait, so tell me about Freedom Brew. What's the story about it?

SPEAKER_04 10:16

Okay. This is our corporate sponsor. This gentleman who started, his name is Alan. He was doing the corporate grind. You know how if you're an artist or you're in what I do, you hear corporate jobs, you're like, Wow! Like, so he left his corporate job to chase his dream. Um, and he started this beer, it's delicious. We have cold ones. You're welcome to one if you'd like.

SPEAKER_06 10:37

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

And they he gives back to veterans. And he's working with to help prevent suicides from veterans. Um, in my practice, I work a lot with a lot of veterans and PTSD and stored trauma. So when somebody comes along with a great product that's giving back, we love that. You know, the reason the vets are so we wouldn't be able to sit here and do what we do if it wasn't for people putting their lives on the line for us. So it's really good. If you don't have some, I'll send them home with you, but it's great.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

I'll grab a cat on the way out for the case. Please do. Please do.

SPEAKER_04 11:09

You can have as many as you want. So you've been in Nashville two and a half years.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 11:13

And how do you like it? Because I mean, this city to me is the greatest. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Like, I I I feel like I really am at home. Um, it it feels like San Antonio, Texas a little bit. Just it's very Texas minor. You know, I grew up on 90s country and and early 2000s country and and all that, and it's a little tough for me to you know adjust to like everything that's coming out now just because I have all my favorite songs, and I feel like you know, from the greats like George Strait, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, those are my greats. I know there's yeah, you see one of the greats.

SPEAKER_04 11:45

Your dad wanted to know you were here. Your dad's like the wagon. Welcome, dad. Come on in.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

You're gonna say Johnny Cash.

SPEAKER_04 11:53

Right, but we're talking about uh George Strait.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Yeah, sorry about that. No, but listen, I I know there's greats before them, even of course. Like and they would say it like you know, those are their favorite artists too, but mine, I would say George Strait's my number one favorite. Uh I have a uh a wall of records of my favorite albums growing up in my house, just to kind of remember where I came from a little bit. Absolutely. I love Rascal Flats, I love Kenny Chesney, he was my first concert.

SPEAKER_04 12:20

Um, but Kenny Chesney is quit essential. Yes. If you love country music, you love him.

SPEAKER_00 12:26

I I love Kenny because he I feel like I as much as I do relate to George, I feel like as a person coming from San Antonio, Texas, spending the other half of their life in Miami, like I love like beach country at the same time. Like I guess I got rocky. Great vibes.

SPEAKER_04 12:42

Toes and sand, cold beers in hand.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

That's kind of like my life.

SPEAKER_04 12:46

Yeah, that's so beautiful though. That's such a great I mean, you look so happy, like you're living the dream. How old are you now, if you don't mind my asking?

SPEAKER_00 12:54

I'm about to turn 30, April 4th.

SPEAKER_04 12:55

You're about to turn 30? Yeah, God, you don't look like you could be 30. That's so beautiful. I appreciate that. That's great. That's good living. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

No, but I love Nashville. This is like, this is the home of of country music, of all music, I feel like. Right. Yeah. Honestly.

SPEAKER_04 13:10

Absolutely. It's crazy. Are you still making appearances?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 13:14

All the are you playing or are you still just making appearances?

SPEAKER_00 13:17

Um, I'm I'm definitely a little bit selective while I'm here. You know, I know the the game is to like, you know, get into every door and be everywhere, but I also kind of don't want to take that route. So I'm I'm just like picking and choosing and not exhausting myself.

SPEAKER_04 13:32

You already have a set fan base. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

But I I've definitely um I love playing at random spots here. I love I've I've been um I've played whiskey jam. I did a writer's round at Live Oak.

SPEAKER_04 13:44

Live Oak is great. Whiskey Jam is great, too.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

I I did um one of my own shows, like you know, the the Live Oak and Whiskey Jams, that's kind of like a three to five song type of thing, but I've done a full show of mine at Electric Jane, which is kind of like uh a members-only type of spot. You've heard of that.

SPEAKER_04 14:00

Yeah, I've heard of it.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

I've got a show at Soho House, Nashville, on April 12th. And I'm doing like a full like 45-minute show, so I'm excited about that.

SPEAKER_04 14:09

That's really awesome. Are you releasing new music anytime soon?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

Yeah, I've got um I released like four or five new songs for my new album coming out this summer, this past year. And uh those are out there already with videos. So what's good?

SPEAKER_04 14:23

What I know he's ready to rock and roll. I love it. You have such an interesting life. Yeah, I know. It's so crazy. Does it feel like a pinch me moment a lot of times?

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Yeah, all the time.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

Does it?

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Yeah, wow. I just feel blessed to be able to be around so many talented musicians and writers in in in Nashville, because even in Miami, like there's not many people that are making music like that. And even if there are, it's more spread out, you know. But here it's like I live right downtown, so I can just walk anywhere and be right there ready to write.

SPEAKER_04 14:51

I think it's just the coolest vibe. I saw you writer's rounds. I love writers' rounds. I love writers' rounds. I think it's like a cool way to really get closer to an artist as opposed, you know, and and people come here to hear live music, right? You know, and it is the only city that they don't charge a cover charge to come in here.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Well, you you play too?

SPEAKER_04 15:10

Yes. You play guitar?

SPEAKER_05 15:11

Yeah, nice seeing guitar, right? Yeah, I love that. I I love the writers round five here in Nashville just because I mean I think in this business it's so you gotta like come up with your friends and your people, and I think it just makes it so much fun having your co-writers and your friends in Nashville. Yeah. Did you find a tribe here?

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think uh like even my first day moving here. I remember I got off the plane, I had just put my bags up in my spot, and I'm coming down, I'm I'm walking by Broadway. And I see this one of my boys that I hadn't seen in a couple years when I was working on my first country album before I moved here. Uh shout out to Jim Johnson. I don't know if you know him, he made lollipop for Lil Wayne and uh some things for Beyonce and B.O.B. He's huge. So I I made my first country album with him to try to you know blend the pop and hip hop and country worlds together. I felt like he was the perfect guy.

SPEAKER_04 16:02

Um and it does blend so beautifully now, as we've seen. It really does blend so beautifully.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

But yeah, that first day when I got here, I saw one of my friends that had played drums uh for me one time. He was just sitting on the sidewalk and you know, I didn't even know he was there. I was just walking by and he's like, Austin, and I'm like, Juju, and he's like, Man, like what are you doing here? I'm like, I literally just moved here today, like an hour and a half ago. And he was like, Man, let me just take you around the block right here and just introduce you to everybody. And I was like, man, like that's so real, that's so natural.

SPEAKER_04 16:30

Like so great.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

I just love the community here. I do too.

SPEAKER_04 16:34

I this Tennessee reminds me a lot of Texas. Um, it's still that same like southern hospitality gentlemen and and ladies, like it's a it's a good, it reminds me very much of Texas. Like, if you're gonna live outside of Texas, I think this is a great place to be.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

I agree, and I love the homage that they pay too to like just everybody that we've all heard growing up listening to. Like, they don't let anyone's you know, career or like or just idea or memory of them die, like you hear all the all the great stuff.

SPEAKER_04 17:04

Even after Toby Keith passed away, I mean I was flu in the day after, and it was like this entire city was innocent. We were playing on Broadway and we played Toby Keith, I think, the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

I love that.

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Can I just tell you that Red Solo Cup is the best song in my world ever? Everyone. I just think, right? If you have somebody plays Red Solo Cup, you're immediately like I'm I'm gonna have a beer. Yeah, I'm gonna have it. I don't care what color it is, I'm gonna have every single one. So, what is it, what was it like with paparazzi when you were younger? Um because there's not a lot of paparazzi here in in Nashville, which is what's so cool about it.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

I've noticed that, and that that's one of the things. Um what's crazy is that remember that time I I told you my mom wanted me to come to Nashville, and I was doing this uh before I moved to Miami, I was doing this thing called Teen Hoot. If you guys have ever heard of that. Like a long time ago, like something um you know, young artists would get together for. And I remember that time I had ran into Taylor Swift at a coffee shop that's about to close, I think. Um I forget the name of it, but I met her there randomly, you know, buying a coffee, and that was like I think probably like a year before she asked me to come on tour with her. I just saw her, and the person I was with was like, you know, I was like, is that Taylor Swift right there? And they're sh they're like, Yeah, but you know, keep it chill, like it's natural, like people don't really like go with people like that.

SPEAKER_04 18:19

Yeah, they're not. Yeah, even at the bar openings and stuff, you don't there's not paparazzi here.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

Like, nobody is like, they just let people be people.

SPEAKER_04 18:27

Doesn't that make you feel good about your art then?

SPEAKER_00 18:30

It it does. Like I but I I didn't care though. I still went up to Taylor and was like, You're Taylor, right? And she's like, Yeah, and I was like, Can I please get a picture? And she's like, Of course. And I was like, damn, I felt bad because like I did what I shouldn't have done, but still I got a picture with her, and then I went on tour with her the next year. I was like, I don't know if that has any correlation or that's cool how those things work.

SPEAKER_04 18:47

I know that was the universe, not through your door, like, come on in, Austin, we got it.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

I did see Kenny here one time at a diner, and he it was like a packed diner, and it was just like he was sitting there at the counter, and I'm you know, 13, 14 at that time, like love Kenny, like yeah, and I'm like, I think that's Kenny looks exactly like him, but no one is like batting an eye. Like, can that really be Kenny?

SPEAKER_04 19:07

It doesn't happen here, which is so beautiful, like so different from Miami or LA or you know. Did you ever live in LA?

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Yeah, I did. When I was living in Miami for 12 years, I was by coastal living also in LA. So I was literally like back and forth. And the paparazzi's in LA and Miami are definitely like way crazier. Yeah, LA for sure more than Miami, but Miami, they're still everywhere.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

Yeah, absolutely. And that's hard to like establish a life, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:29

I mean, if you're that's hard to have privacy and at the studio, at your house.

SPEAKER_04 19:34

Yeah, it must feel good to be in a city like this where you know that that's they honor all music. I think it's so beautiful the way the thing I love about the artists in Nashville is they lift each other up. Definitely, you know, like it's not I think I said on the last show, and I probably shouldn't like you never hear like Beyonce like cheering loud for the other, you know, like it is the beauty of country music is you all support each other. Like I've never had normal, it's great. I mean, it's like a code of ethics, would you say? That's you kind of treat each other that way. I think it's so awesome that you guys lift each other up. Yeah, it's like a no man down kind of thing. It should be all in life, it should be like that, but you hardly ever see it, you know, because everything's a competition and everybody's like, I want to be the next so-and-so. But I think it's so beautiful that for somebody who's hit big fame like you have, and somebody who's coming up gonna have big fame, that you're all support each other. Yeah, definitely. I think it's beautiful. Have you met a lot of cool people here?

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Here, uh, yeah, for sure. I was actually um I was at Jeff Ruby's, I think, um like a month or two ago, and I literally got sat down at a table that was like staring at Garth Brooks and his wife having also dinner at the same time.

SPEAKER_04 20:51

I love me some Garth Brooks.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Yeah, and I was like, it went back to me like remembering seeing Kenny or seeing Taylor and people being like, yo, Joe, like he was probably saying the same bad at you.

SPEAKER_04 20:58

He's probably like, that's awesome. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 21:00

You never know, but I was like, I can't, I can't just one. I'm already like if I just I I can't help it, just sitting straight eating my dinner. I'm looking into his eyes. Like, I can't help it, you know.

SPEAKER_04 21:10

You should have asked him how the steak was. How was that? Do you recommend?

SPEAKER_00 21:14

But I was like, I know if I if I start that, you know, break the mold, everyone's gonna be like, oh shoot, like he's right there. Like, so I was trying to keep it, you know, cool. But I was still like Garth Brooks is literally Garth Brooks 10 feet in front of me.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

I love me some Garth Brooks. Me too, yeah. Me, I do, I love him.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

So I mean, I I I didn't, I guess I didn't meet him, but that I mean that's just a crazy like siding guy.

SPEAKER_04 21:36

Like I know, I know. It's crazy. He's out in Vegas, right? Is he doing a stent in Vegas? Maybe he's all over. Yeah. Still touring. And he loves in his interview, I love to hear his interviews because he truly gives all of this fame back to the fans. He's like, I couldn't do what I do. Longarth and they didn't. Tell me how important fans are to you, your fans.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

The most important. I mean, I wouldn't be where I am without them, so Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:08

That's it. That's what they want. They want to see you perform. They want to hear.

SPEAKER_00 22:12

And I come from a a a a world of, you know, pop music and having to like be way too calculated. And it's like you put out like a few songs a year and it's like it's just it it kind of sucks that way. I want to just make my music and give it to my fans and and not be like, oh, we gotta like not put a hundred songs out and just one at a time.

SPEAKER_04 22:31

Well, the era that you were in pop music was it changed everything.

SPEAKER_00 22:36

Yeah, it was like you find one song, you put everything into it for like a quarter of the year, and then which is I'm sure is kind of similar sometimes for certain records here too, but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:46

I love to meet people that come here with a guitar and a dream.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:51

I do. This whole show started on people that take chances and dream big. Like you took a chance, you know, and you changed high schools and you've taken several chances. And I think it's so inspiring to, you know, for your fans to see that, for other artists to see that. I think it is amazing. What's the favorite place you want to play?

SPEAKER_00 23:13

That's a good question.

SPEAKER_04 23:15

Have you played the rhymen? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

I haven't played the rhymen, but I definitely look forward to playing there. Um I see it like almost every day. I live downtown, so it's right there, you know? Yeah. Yeah. Great for manifesting, I guess. Right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

Walk hug it, walk by it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:33

Uh shoot. I guess I guess either the rhyman or the opri, I think right now. Yeah, you know, Ridge Stone, you know, all the ones that are. Right.

SPEAKER_04 23:42

That's now getting a whole new arena. So yeah, that is it's so funny because I think that's whenever I ask that question to people, everybody says the ryman or the grand old Opry. Like that, they don't care about selling out stadiums. They want to play there. That's how you say you have made it in country music.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

Yeah, I mean, as as great as stadiums are, I just feel like those are just way more rich in history. It's like I guess yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:09

Well, you already did that. You've already done the the the stadium thing.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

I don't know for sure, but it's like just to say like you've played in such an iconic venue, like either one of those, it's like it's almost like it's more special. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 24:21

Yeah, it's a step up in music. If you could collab with anybody, who would it be?

SPEAKER_00 24:25

George Strait. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:26

That'd be great. Do you know him?

SPEAKER_00 24:28

I met him on my 21st birthday and we had a shot together. Oh, yeah. He had just released his Codigo tequila. Oh, that's right. And I went to Vegas to to see him for his residency because he had like a whole thing there. Yep. And uh I had just turned 21. He had just released the tequila, and you know, I got to meet him and how to do it. The world collided. The crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:48

It was planted in the stars.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

Yeah, I I turned instantly like three years old in that moment because like I seen him, and when he walked through the door, it was like literally only me, my mom, him, and like another like woman that walked him in. Like, so it was the most intimate, like, no one else around.

SPEAKER_04 25:03

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 25:04

And the first thing I did was I give him a big hug, and I was like, after I did that, I was like, I shouldn't have done that.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

He probably was so happy to think that he's had such an influence on your music. That's a huge compliment.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

But I mean, at the same time as George Strait, I'm sure he deals with people trying to hug him all the time, and like, you know, it's it's like a man-to-man thing. Like, at least just lead with a handshake first or something, but like I wouldn't prefer the hug right away.

SPEAKER_07 25:28

Coming in for the hug, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

It was like mid-tight hug. I was like, oh, nice to meet you, George. I'm sorry. Just let's put it there.

SPEAKER_04 25:36

Let him shake your hand. I'm actually jumping. That's a very cool story. Because I mean, gosh, you've seen a lot of things in your career.

SPEAKER_00 25:42

For sure.

SPEAKER_04 25:43

I mean, holy smokes. What when you look back now at things like Justin Bieber, like, what do you think about situations like that?

SPEAKER_00 25:51

Um, what do you mean, situations like that?

SPEAKER_04 25:53

Like the li their change, their lives changing so much, and you know, like how you've all kind of gone separate ways as far as those pop stars, the younger pop stars.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

I mean, I think um, you know, everybody grows up and you know, not everybody's lucky enough to have fans that grow with them. So you're very blessed. I feel very blessed to have people that, you know, still pull to my shows and still want to hear new music from me. And yes. And just me going from pop music to like country, like people are excited for that. They're not like, no, like, I mean, some people are, they're like, we want pop RB, and I'm like, Right. There's a world right there. I'm done with it.

SPEAKER_04 26:29

Right.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:30

So I think true fans are excited for no, they are, you know, and we've we've interviewed some hip hop artists on the show and um and a pop artist, and I love the collaboration of it. I don't think there's better music than there is right now. I agree. Like the best music in the world is being made and genreless. It is, it's life-changing, and this is a very pivotal time to be in Nashville. Definitely. You know, they're saying that within five years, you know, music's gonna leave LA and leave Chicago and leave Atlanta and leave New York, and this will be the music mecca of the world.

SPEAKER_00 27:06

Yeah, so you gotta I mean I I think of it already as that. Yeah, me too. Like, even more than Chicago. Like, I feel like Chicago's cool, but like Nashville, I think, overall is the music city capital of the whole world.

SPEAKER_04 27:17

It is, it's a great place, and the vibe here is one. Did you meet your girlfriend when you were here?

SPEAKER_00 27:21

No, I met her in Miami.

SPEAKER_04 27:23

You met her in Miami?

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Well, no, um we met in 2022 and uh and then kind of went our separate ways after that because I was moving and I was like, I don't really like to do that long distance stuff.

SPEAKER_04 27:35

I know, yeah, it's hard.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Yeah, so we we kind of like rekindled like four years later and then have been together for like four or five months right now.

SPEAKER_04 27:43

So she's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 27:45

That's great. I'm happy. You look like you have a wonderful life.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

Yeah, no, you do feel very grateful for you. You do.

SPEAKER_04 27:50

You can tell, I can tell you're filled with gratitude. I really can. That's so nice, it's refreshing for somebody who's had a name in this industry for so long to still find it exciting to talk about music. And we were so excited that you were coming on the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 28:04

No, I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_04 28:05

Oh, thank you so much. We were so excited. Desiree does rock, and she's like she's like, Do you want to awesome hoans? I'm like, no. Like, what kind of dumb question is that? It's so funny. And you're gonna hang out with Raised Rowdy. Yeah, they're so cool, you're gonna love them too. They're super fun. I think it's so good for you. Like, you look so happy being in this part of your life.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Thank you. I am. Are you gonna tour? Absolutely. That's the plan. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:30

When's the next tour?

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Uh, hopefully the summer.

SPEAKER_04 28:32

Really? That'd be great.

SPEAKER_05 28:34

Summertime. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 28:35

Yeah. What about you? Are you are you touring anytime soon?

SPEAKER_05 28:37

Yeah, I'm about to start my next radio tour. No way. So I'm gonna be visiting all these stations for my new single coming out this week and then gonna see if I can book some shows after that.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

I love it.

SPEAKER_05 28:46

Addison's a rock star.

SPEAKER_04 28:47

Oh, star. She's gonna be a household name.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

She's great. I can't wait to hear your music after this.

SPEAKER_04 28:53

Yeah, she's great. I love this too when everybody um that's why I love to have a co-host. And thank you so much for coming.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

I'm like, what'd you come back and say with me every day?

SPEAKER_04 29:02

I love that when you guys, you know, some are, you know, higher up and don't know, and then they all start listening to each other's music, and then they all connect, and then they all, oh my god, we met up for a drink. Like, I just think that's such a cool that's what's cool about this city. It's the tribe. It totally is the tribe. All right.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

Wait, were you at a place like a week and a half, two weeks ago, where it was like there's horses there, it's like a stable, there's they have like charcuterie boards.

SPEAKER_05 29:27

Of course, I was. Damn. Were you there?

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Did you see me? I was with my mom.

SPEAKER_05 29:31

I was there checking out Space Cowboy Coffee. They haven't found me there. Yeah, I thought you looked familiar. That's crazy. That's random. There are only two people there.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

That's actually insane to think that now we're here.

SPEAKER_04 29:41

They remembered her.

SPEAKER_05 29:42

We were kind of talking about like sponsorship opportunities and stuff, and so I didn't know there were horses. That was such a cool thing.

SPEAKER_00 29:47

Yeah, my mom was like, Oh, I have a surprise for you. Like, I'm gonna take you to this place, and I'm like guessing like dirty places. She takes me out to the wherever the heck we were, like, out.

SPEAKER_04 29:54

Here in Tennessee, small world. Insanely small world.

SPEAKER_00 29:57

I can't wait to tell her about this. Yeah, so she takes me to this random secret location she randomly booked for us, didn't tell me what it was. No, she's super cool. She always does things like that. And uh, we get there and I'm we pull to someone's house, and I'm like, mom. Where did you take us? Why are we at someone's house in the middle of nowhere?

SPEAKER_04 30:12

State line NBC investigation.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Oh, literally, like there was no other people there. She was like, No, there's gonna be people there, there's no one there. It was like a random, like cold day or something like that. No, it was hot, but I don't know. We we went there and uh they had like some horses lined up and uh some chickens back there and charcuterie boards and wine and dude.

SPEAKER_04 30:31

First of all, when you put chickens in horses with charcuterie board, that's a story that ends with a good day. Anywhere there's a charcuterie board, quite honestly, it's fabulous. Right. I mean, I'm sorry. And then they have this coffee, this amazing coffee.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Yeah, yes, space colour coffee.

SPEAKER_05 30:45

They kind of like brew it and stuff in there. I never heard of it.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

Me either.

SPEAKER_05 30:48

It's coming, it's up and coming. Yeah, is it basically coffee for music?

SPEAKER_00 30:52

No, it was good. I I pulled up in the Mustang and the house of smoking, and I'm like, what is happening? Like, where are we? Why is the house smoking?

SPEAKER_07 30:58

I'm a little terrified.

SPEAKER_00 31:00

I walk in, like, there's no one there, it's just horses and like um just yeah, everything. Charcuterie boards, like chickens. I'm like, okay, like all right.

SPEAKER_04 31:07

Dude, I'd love a charcuterie board.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

Yeah, and then an hour and a half, she pulls up, like I want to go. Will you go with me one time? You gotta take her.

SPEAKER_00 31:14

It was cool.

SPEAKER_05 31:15

Yeah. I would love to go.

SPEAKER_00 31:17

But that's so weird because we were sitting outside talking to the the girl that runs the spot. You guys are waiting on the show.

SPEAKER_05 31:21

You're trying not to like bother them in their in their vibes over there. Did you know who we was? Nope.

SPEAKER_00 31:26

I don't know who she was either, and and then she she comes like an hour and a half after I've been there, and then um, you know, they come in and the girl the lady was like, Oh, hold on, we gotta be back. Like some other people came, I gotta help them out. And I was like, Okay, okay. So then we were sitting out there by ourselves, she comes back and she's like, Oh, it's like um like some artist or something, like she does music. And I was like, It's crazy. I was like, Okay, okay, and then small world.

SPEAKER_06 31:48

It's wild.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

But yeah, she was she was like, she she's a music artist. Like, I don't know if you ever heard of her, like, and I was like, I don't know. And then I'm almost like, go over there and see if you recognize her. And then I went over there to like be like, ah, lottie daddy dah. I'm just gonna get some more sharks. I was feeding a horse. I'm filling my wine again. Like, but so then I you know, I was like looking at her and I was like, I don't think I've I've seen her before. And then, but then I was like, I I wasn't I don't know who that was you're with. I was like, I'm not trying to like you know, pop up and be like asking all these questions or whatever, and like business like that. It's just so weird because I you know I saw your face at the time, never seen it before, but now we're here and I'm like, I've seen you before. So crazy like that.

SPEAKER_04 32:35

You two need to collab. That's what I'm saying. Like I think that might be what it is.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

The universe is talking for sure.

SPEAKER_04 32:41

Yeah, I know. That's such a cool experience. We'll exchange IDs after sure. Yeah. Oh, definitely. You should collab or something. Is your mom here? Did she move out here?

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Um, no, she's in Houston right now, and um you never know. She, I mean, she always pops out here and there, so she's here all the time.

SPEAKER_04 32:55

But that's great. Yeah, your biggest cheerleader, your biggest supporter.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 32:59

What would your advice be to somebody who wants that the the 13-year-old you? Um what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_00 33:06

13-year-old me, someone like that, I would say.

SPEAKER_04 33:09

Don't step on Legos. Hurts. Hurts like a mother.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yeah, don't step on the Legos. That's that's lesson number one. But I would just say, like, you know, find what it is that you love early and and just be consistent with getting better at it. You know, you don't have to be on YouTube or do whatever it is that I did. Like, just find what it is that you love to do, whether it's playing guitar or learn the piano or painting or drawing, whatever it is. Like, if you love doing it, do that and just get better at it. Yeah. And just realize that like because I feel like people wait a long time to be like, oh, like I don't I don't have any hobbies or I don't I'm not following my passion. It's like, no, you you probably had it when you were younger, you just listened to everybody else and did something else that was boring, you know.

SPEAKER_04 33:50

Yeah, you know, because I think it's true too that I hear a lot of this, you know, when I first started the podcast, we had some younger artists on, and they were always like, My parents are disappointed that I didn't go to college. I'm like, Well, when you have a bar named after you on Broadway, they're gonna change their mind.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 34:04

They're gonna change their mind. You're not gonna hear it. College isn't for everybody, no, you know, and you should. And if God has blessed you with this talent, you owe it. You owe it to yourselves, you owe it to us, you owe it to him to get out there and perform it.

SPEAKER_05 34:17

Put that dream in your heart for a reason. Absolutely. Why not? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 34:20

And I love the people that are like, there's no plan B. Like, this is it, you're all in, right? And that's such an amazing feeling. And it shows, it shows in when you perform, and it totally shows during an interview. The people who are like, This is it, I'm all in. And I think it's amazing, especially from somebody who's had a fair amount of success in your career. Yeah, I mean, to be 30. Yeah, God, by 50, what are you gonna be? An astronaut?

SPEAKER_00 34:48

I might be, you never know.

SPEAKER_04 34:49

You never know. It's not coming on your rocket ship, though. We're gonna check it out. Y'all got seats for sure. That is incredible. What's the next big thing happening?

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Uh, next big thing happening, I would say my show is Soho April 12th, because this is uh my first time performing at any Soho, and I've been a member for almost 10 years now. So it's exciting. That's very exciting. Congratulations. Thank you. It's gonna be a room of um, you know, some fans, some family, and and some cool industry social lights that I feel like should be there. So and you guys are also welcome to come if you can make it. Would love that. April 12th, I think the show starts it. It's an early one. I I think it's from like four to six.

SPEAKER_04 35:27

Wow, that's great.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

So they're gonna do an interview with me before the show in the room, and then I'm gonna perform on a stage, which I've never done that maybe not too many times, but it's a uh a pretty good one. Well, you're grown up now, you can do it.

SPEAKER_04 35:38

Yeah, it's gonna be fun. Yeah, can you believe he's 30? Like you don't even look anywhere near 30. No, thank you. That's so beautiful. Hold that as long as you damn it. Don't go in the sun. I knew you missed. Keep moisturizing too. I know it's important. I know. It is cold here in the winter. I'm from Philadelphia. Okay, so that's I'm originally from Texas, and um I'm from Philadelphia. We got rid of our place in Frisco because I was here so much.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 36:00

Um, and then every time I come, I I feel like I bring the bad weather. Like, that's me. It might don't don't hate me there. It does. It's fine. It's a Philly thing, right? I swear. That's like everywhere I go, it's like it starts to get gloomy.

SPEAKER_00 36:13

Wait, so you're you're going back to Philly after this week?

SPEAKER_04 36:15

Uh yeah. I'll be here till Friday, shoot the CRS through Friday, and then I'll I'm back in Philly. Nice. Yeah, and then well, you know when I shoot, um, I come down here. This is my team, and they're Nashville based. So I come to them. Nice. Um, I know it's great. They're they're my Nashville family. They're actually the everybody that has been on the show comes back on the show. Would you come back? Absolutely. Yeah, because you're so great. You're a great interviewer. And nobody ever just comes on happy hour once. It's like there's a whole happy hour family. You're back, and you were just like you were just filmed. And there's this whole like happy hour family.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

I love it.

SPEAKER_04 36:54

You know, it's great. One day, I swear, Mitch, we need to do this. We need to rent a cool place. Oh, I bet Gail would give us a place, and we could have just a reunion, like where everybody that's been on the show. I like that because I have met people that like I've had people that are co-host on and and then they start collabing together, and it's such a cool thing. Like you were talking about your records on your walls. Um, in my office at home, it's like a darker blue, and there is a wall of fame, and it has every one of your pictures in a white frame, beautifully hung. I'm married to an engineer, so shit gets done right in my house. And uh and people, when I when I treat clients, when I work with patients, they're like, What's that? I'm like, that's my wall of fame. I'm like, those are the incredible people that made happy hour with Deb. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

Yeah, it's a really cool We need that reunion.

SPEAKER_04 37:47

Totally, right?

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Everyone will have a Freedom Brew in their hands.

SPEAKER_04 37:50

We're gonna have nothing but Freedom Brew. We're gonna have that and some donuts that I love that are here. And these Pollard donuts. I don't know if you guys have heard of them, but they're ridiculously amazing. So I know, but yes, we need to have a reunion show. That would be amazing. But you'll come back and keep us updated. Thank you so much for being here today. It was really an honor to meet you.

SPEAKER_00 38:11

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 38:12

And you know, I I feel like I watched you grow up.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 38:15

You know, I don't I'm not Stephanie Leggets, though. I'm a grandmom now, so that's solid advice. Like thank you so much. You do not even first of all, I'm only 29. Let's just get facts straight. And I've I have one granddaughter now, she'll be a year next month in April, and I have two more on the way. Oh, wow. It's life-changing. Busy. Yeah, it's like light, like you, it brings out the inner, like, you know, with your own kids, you have to raise them and you have to have rules. And when they're your grandkids, it's like no holds bar. You buy whatever you want because who's gonna tell you no? Yeah, right? Like you do these crazy give them the freedom. I'm just like six months old and we took her on a hayride. I'm like, she's not gonna remember this. I'm like, it's not for her, it's for me. You know, it's really it's life-changing. Her name is Lainey. Her name is Lainey. I know, I know. They were getting an ultrasound, and Lainey Wilson was playing, and that her name is Lainey. Boom. I know. I love it. That's it. Maybe I'll we'll have the next one, the boy named Austin. Wouldn't that be cool?

SPEAKER_00 39:12

Precious.

SPEAKER_04 39:13

Then you'll come. You'll come and visit the bathroom.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Then I'll come, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:16

Visit, perform. We can get you a full audience there. It was a pleasure having you. I can't wait for you to come back. Thanks so much.

SPEAKER_05 39:24

Thanks for all it. Where can they where can everybody find you? I think find me at Addison Mollock Music, A D Y S C N M A L E K on all platforms. Check her out.

SPEAKER_04 39:32

She's a badass. Where can everybody find you?

SPEAKER_00 39:34

Everyone can find it.

SPEAKER_04 39:35

First of all, everybody's already following you.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Well, you know, there I can get some more followers, but uh, you know, just type in Austin Mahone anywhere and I should pop up.

SPEAKER_04 39:43

Yep. Thanks for being part of Happy Hour. We love it. Thank you for having me. Of course.