Austin Whitney shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Austin, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Recently, I had an original song played on the radio! It’s something that I didn’t ever imagine would really happen – To take something from my personal life, write it down and create the song from the ground up, then to have that play live to thousands of people was actually really surreal!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Austin Whitney and I am a Country Music Singer from Utah!
Music has always been something that’s been a part of my life, from when I first picked up a guitar at 14 years old. However, it’s something that took a back seat for a few years as I launched a few businesses and set off into the entrepreneurial world.
But no matter what I did in business, I never felt fulfilled. I’d never reached a point where I felt like “this is what I’m supposed to do”. Even though I had some successful ventures, it felt like something was still missing.
I started to feel a pull back into music. I started practicing more often and I even felt a desire to begin writing my own music, which led me to performing and singing my songs – which I NEVER did. I didn’t believe that I was a good enough singer to perform solo Infront of an audience.
Since then I’ve performed at local venues throughout Utah, released my FIRST single ‘Fall Into Me’ which has been played on the radio throughout the US, and even have a contract singing as the lead singer for the Bryce Canyon Wranglers down at Ebenezer’s Barn & Grill from time to time!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
When I was building my businesses a lot of my decisions and goals were focused on monetary value. My focus was always on the next payout, what I was going to buy with my next payout. Everything was focused around “more”.
I realized that even though I was achieving this financial goals It still didn’t bring me true happiness or a sense of fulfilment.
I struggled mentally for a few years, but that experience really made me reflect on what truly makes me happy.
While it isn’t realistic to give up the desire to earn a living, it was freeing to act on what I wanted that might not bring me the highest return, but let me feel creative and fulfilled.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The biggest fear I had was failing Infront of an audience. I remember two instances growing up that I can specifically remember being told that I could not sing. I sang fine in a choir with other people, but when I tried to sing on my own with my guitar, two close friends of mine told me I wasn’t a good singer.
I’d also heard from others that singers were “a dime a dozen” and “you have to be born with it”, which now I believe to be a lie.
That fear held me back for years because I thought if my close friends thought I couldn’t sing, then what are other people going to think of me? And if I wasn’t born with a good voice, then I’m out of luck. Which is just simply not true!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
I do my best to be authentic. The great thing about writing my own songs is and releasing them, is that everything I write is from a personal experience or my perspective. So what you hear, what you see, it’s not me putting on a show, it’s just ME!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Stop caring what other people think. Stop chasing just money. We live in a world that what we do for work, defines who we are. But, we are so much more than that!
Money isn’t everything. Your family and the people that you leave behind won’t remember what you bought. The legacy you leave behind is how you treated them and the memories that you made with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austinwhitneymusic.com
- Instagram: @austinwhitneymusic
- Youtube: @austinwhitneymusic
- Other: TikTok: @AustinWhitneyMusic
Image Credits
I have ownership of all images.
