Johntá Austin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johntá Austin
Austin in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Johntá Moore Austin
Born	(1980-06-28) June 28, 1980 (age 44) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter record producer
Years active	1995–present
Labels	So So Def Island Urban Music Island Def Jam

Johntá Moore Austin (pronounced jon-TAY; born June 28, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is famous for writing and producing songs for many popular artists. He worked a lot with Jermaine Dupri's record label, So So Def Recordings, in the mid-2000s.

As a singer, Johntá Austin signed with So So Def. He appeared on Dupri's song "Gotta Getcha" in 2005. This song even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also sang on Bow Wow's hit songs "Shortie Like Mine" (2006) and "Outta My System" (2007). "Shortie Like Mine" reached the top ten on the charts. Johntá Austin also released his own songs like "Turn It Up" in 2005. He planned to release an album called Ocean Drive, but it was never officially released.

Johntá Austin has won two Grammy Awards. He won for his work on "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey and "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige.

Early Life and Start in Music

Johntá Austin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was 8 years old, in 1989, he hosted a TV show called Kid's Beat on TBS. On the show, he covered news, sports, and entertainment. He also worked as a reporter for CNN's Real News for Kids.

Austin loved singing in church choirs from a young age. He also wanted to be an actor. He interviewed famous people like Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan. In 1993, he appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show. On the show, he shared his love for singing and even got to sing with Arsenio Hall's band.

Becoming a Songwriter

Starting Out: 1996–2004

Johntá Austin's first professional songwriting credit was for the song "Can't Be Wasting My Time" by singer Mona Lisa.

In the late 1990s, he signed with RCA Records. Even though he later left the label, he wrote several songs for other artists. This included writing "Sweet Lady" for Tyrese Gibson.

In 1998, Austin helped write "Miss You" for Aaliyah. This song was later released on her album I Care 4 U (2002). He also wrote other songs for that album, including "All I Need" and "Come Over." Austin also co-wrote "Just Be a Man About it" for Toni Braxton's album The Heat.

Big Hits and Grammy Wins: 2005–2009

Johntá Austin co-wrote several of Mariah Carey's big hits in 2005. These included "We Belong Together", "Don't Forget About Us", and "Shake It Off". These songs were from her album The Emancipation of Mimi. "We Belong Together" was a huge success. It stayed at number one on the charts for fourteen weeks. This song helped him win two Grammy Awards.

In the same year, Austin also co-wrote "Be Without You" for Mary J. Blige. This song was from her number one album The Breakthrough. He also worked on "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" for Monica. Austin was also a guest singer on Jermaine Dupri's song "Gotta Getcha" in 2005.

He co-wrote songs for Chris Brown's first album in 2005. These included "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Poppin'". He also wrote "With You" for Chris Brown.

Austin produced and sang on two successful songs by rapper Bow Wow. These were "Shortie Like Mine" and "Outta My System". Both songs were from Bow Wow's album The Price of Fame. "Shortie Like Mine" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.

Austin also worked on albums for famous artists like Janet Jackson, Jermaine Dupri, and Whitney Houston. He co-wrote "Still" for Tamia and "My Heart" for Jennifer Hudson.

In 2007, Austin co-wrote "Can't Help but Wait" for Trey Songz. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award. He continued to work with Trey Songz, helping to produce and write songs for his album Ready in 2009.

Recent Work: 2010–Present

In 2010, Austin co-wrote "Foolin Around" for Usher's Grammy-winning album Raymond v. Raymond. He also co-wrote "Never Let You Go" for Justin Bieber's first album My World 2.0. He helped produce and sang background vocals on Trey Songz's album Passion, Pain & Pleasure.

In 2010, Johntá Austin received the "Song of the Decade" award. This was for his work on "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey. He shared this award with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal.

Johntá Austin's Solo Music

After writing many successful songs for others, Johntá Austin started working on his own album. It was called Ocean Drive. His first single, "Lil' More Love," came out in 2005. He released other singles like "Turn It Up" in 2006. Even though he released several songs, his album Ocean Drive was never officially released.

In 2010, Austin released a digital song called "Close Your Eyes." In 2012, he released an EP (a shorter album) called Love. It included the song "What a Feeling" which featured Jermaine Dupri.

Discography

Studio Albums

• 2008: Ocean Drive (Not released)
• 2019: Love, ..., & Religion

EPs

• 2012: Love

Singles

Featured Singles