YouTube Sensation Austin Mahone Hangs Out In Studio At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Austin Mahone made a stop at CHOP last week and talked about how his life has changed since he was discovered on YouTube! Austin, who was never very musical growing up, recently decided this was the path for him. He had starting playing the drums when he was six (as a hobby) but it was not until recently that he learned how to play the guitar, piano and how to sing. He realized this was a career he wanted to pursue and can’t believe how far he has gotten in the past two years (especially because he is only 16 years old). He is so thankful for all of the amazing experiences he has had so far.

Growing up in a small town, Austin did not have very much to do (the town didn’t have a movie theatre or bowling alley) so he started posting videos with his friend Alex on YouTube. Some of the videos were funny and others were of him singing. He got such a good response from his singing that he continued to work at it. When the patients asked him if remembered the first video (of him singing) he posted, he said that it was a cover of Jesse McCartney’s “Beautiful Soul.”

Austin, who now lives in Miami and is homeschooled, has been performing around the country (everywhere from Vegas to New Jersey.) He loves all the traveling but says it can get hard sometimes because he misses all his friends and family. When he has a little down time, he does love to play basketball (it is his favorite sport.) When the patients asked him if he has a name for his supporters, he said he calls them the “Mahomies!”

When asked if he does anything before a show to get prepared, Austin said that he takes 10 to 15 minutes to just relax, warm up, and get in a musical mindset.

Before he left CHOP Austin gave the patients a little advice on what he has learned so far, “Always try to do your best and keep working hard because you never know what can happen!”

Thank you to Austin for taking the time to spend the afternoon with the patients in studio, they had a great time!