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 45) 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 (born June 28, 1980) is an American singer and songwriter. He is famous for writing and producing songs for the record label So So Def Recordings in the mid-2000s. The label was founded by Jermaine Dupri, who is also from Austin's hometown of Atlanta.

As a singer, Austin signed with So So Def and was a guest artist on Dupri's 2005 song "Gotta Getcha". This song made it onto the Billboard Hot 100, a list of the most popular songs in the U.S. The next year, he was featured on the song "Shortie Like Mine" by Bow Wow along with Chris Brown. It became a top-ten hit. He also appeared on Bow Wow's song "Outta My System" with T-Pain, which was a top-40 hit.

Austin also released his own songs, like "Turn It Up" in 2005. These songs were meant to promote his first album, Ocean Drive, but the album was never released.

As a songwriter for So So Def, Austin often worked with Jermaine Dupri, producer Bryan-Michael Cox, and the production team StarGate. He won two Grammy Awards for writing the songs "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey and "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige.

Early Life and TV Career

Austin grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. When he was only eight years old, he hosted a TV show called Kid's Beat on TBS. The show talked about news, sports, and entertainment.

Later, he became a reporter for CNN's weekly news show, Real News for Kids. He also reported for the TBS show, Feed Your Mind. As a young reporter, he interviewed famous people like Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan. In 1993, he appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show, where he got to sing with the show's band. Austin is also related to the rapper J.i.D, who is signed to Dreamville Records.

Songwriting Success

Austin's talent for writing songs became his main path to fame in the music industry. He wrote hit songs for many famous artists.

First Hits (1996–2004)

Austin's first official songwriting job was for the 1996 song "Can't Be Wasting My Time" by singer Mona Lisa.

In the late 1990s, he was signed to RCA Records as a singer. The label decided to focus on another R&B singer, Tyrese Gibson, instead. But Austin still found success by writing songs for Tyrese, including the hit "Sweet Lady".

He also wrote several songs for the singer Aaliyah. These songs, including "Miss You", were released on her album I Care 4 U after she passed away. He also co-wrote the song "Just Be a Man About It" for Toni Braxton's album The Heat.

Writing for Superstars (2005–2009)

In 2005, Austin co-wrote some of Mariah Carey's biggest hits from her album The Emancipation of Mimi. These songs included "We Belong Together", "Don't Forget About Us", and "Shake It Off".

"We Belong Together" was a huge success. It was number one on the charts for 14 weeks. At the time, it was the second-longest-running number-one song in U.S. history. The song won two Grammy Awards.

That same year, Austin co-wrote "Be Without You" for Mary J. Blige's number-one album, The Breakthrough. He also wrote "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" for the singer Monica. He worked on several songs for Chris Brown's first album, including "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and "Poppin'".

Austin continued to work with many other artists. He co-wrote "Still" for Canadian singer Tamia and "This Song" for LeToya Luckett. He also worked with Trey Songz on the song "Can't Help but Wait", which was nominated for a Grammy Award. He later helped write and produce Trey Songz's album Ready.

Recent Work (2010–Present)

In 2010, Austin co-wrote the song "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.

On June 25, 2010, Austin received the "Song of the Decade" award from ASCAP for "We Belong Together". He shared the award with Jermaine Dupri and another songwriter. He has also acted in the TV show Star.

Solo Music Career

After writing hits for others, Austin started working on his own album, Ocean Drive. He released a few songs to promote it, including "Lil' More Love" and "Turn It Up".

He also released the song "Video" featuring Unk. However, after his record label moved to a new company, the album's release was delayed and then eventually canceled.

In 2010, Austin released the song "Close Your Eyes". In 2012, he released an EP called Love. In 2019, he finally released a full album titled Love, ..., & Religion.

Discography

Studio Albums

• 2008: Ocean Drive (Shelved)
• 2019: Love, ..., & Religion

EPs

• 2012: Love

Singles

Featured Singles