Shawn Austin (born January 13, 1989) is a Canadian country singer and songwriter. He is signed to Big Loud Records' joint venture Local Hay.[1]

Shawn Austin
Austin performing in Toronto, Ontario, in April 2024
Austin performing in Toronto, Ontario, in April 2024
Background information
Born (1989-01-13) 13 January 1989 (age 35)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active2016–present
Labels
Websiteshawnaustinmusic.com

Early life

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Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Austin elected to pursue a career in country music due to its "wholesomeness and authenticity", naming Garth Brooks as one of his influences. He stated Stevie Ray Vaughan was the reason he began playing the guitar, and that Michael Bublé's melodies are an influence in his music as well.[2]

Career

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After debuting as an independent artist, Austin signed with Dallas Smith's label Steelhead Music and released the single "Paradise Found" in 2017.[3] The song peaked at number eight on the Billboard Canada Country chart giving Austin a top ten hit to start his career.[4] He followed it up with the single "Get Me There" in 2018.[5]

Later that year, Austin released "You Belong".[6][7] The track was the lead single off his debut six-track extended play Shawn Austin, released on September 28, 2018.[8][9] In 2019, he released the single "What Do I Know",[10][11][12] which later peaked at number seven on Canada Country and became a new career high.[4] He followed that up with "The Little Things" in 2020.[13] That same year, he appeared on the NBC television show Songland in the United States, where he pitched a song titled "Ain't Goin' Nowhere" to Florida Georgia Line, and later partnered with Ester Dean on reworking it with the title "Lean On".[14][15] Ultimately, Austin finished as a runner-up, as Florida Georgia Line chose to record fellow Canadian songwriter Griffen Palmer's song "Second Guessing" instead.[16]

In August 2021, Austin signed with Big Loud Records and their Canadian-based imprint Local Hay,[17] a joint venture between the label, Dallas Smith, producer Scott Cooke, and partner Alex Seif.[18] He then released the single "Tailgate to Heaven" featuring American country singer Chris Lane.[19][20] Austin was an opening act on Dallas Smith's "Some Things Never Change Tour" in the spring and early summer of 2022.[21] In June 2022, he released the extended play Planes Don't Wait, which included "Tailgate to Heaven" and the singles "Get You" and "Slip".[22][23] In 2023, Austin was an opener for Old Dominion on the Canadian dates of their "No Bad Vibes Tour".[23] Later that year, he released the extended play Dirt Roads Downtown, which includes the single "Settle for a Drink".[24] In the spring of 2024, Austin embarked on "The Country Mixtape Tour" across Canada as a co-headliner alongside Tyler Joe Miller and Andrew Hyatt.[25] That same spring, he released the extended play Words.[26]

Discography

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Extended plays

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Title Details
Shawn Austin
  • Released: September 28, 2018
  • Label: Steelhead Music Inc.
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Shawn Austin Acoustic
  • Released: June 21, 2019
  • Label: Steelhead Music Inc.
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
The Little Things
  • Released: June 17, 2020
  • Label: Steelhead Music Inc.
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Planes Don't Wait
  • Released: June 29, 2022
  • Label: Local Hay / Big Loud
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Dirt Roads Downtown
  • Released: July 13, 2023
  • Label: Local Hay / Big Loud
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Words
  • Released: April 5, 2024
  • Label: Local Hay / Big Loud
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album
CAN
[27]
CAN Country
[4]
2017 "Paradise Found" 8 Non-album singles
2018 "Get Me There" 18
"You Belong" 12 Shawn Austin
2019 "What Do I Know" 7 The Little Things
2020 "The Little Things" 49
2021 "Tailgate to Heaven"
(featuring Chris Lane)
61 5 Planes Don't Wait
2022 "Get You"
"Slip" 10
2023 "Settle for a Drink" 8 Dirt Roads Downtown
2024 "Words" 32 Words
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Music videos

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Year Video
2019 "What Do I Know"[29]
2020 "The Little Things"[30]
2021 "Tailgate to Heaven"[31]
(with Chris Lane)

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Nominated Work Result Ref
2019 Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star Nominated [32]
2021 Canadian Country Music Association Rising Star Nominated [33][34]
2022 Canadian Country Music Association Single of the Year "Tailgate to Heaven" Nominated [35][36]
2023 Canadian Country Music Association Album of the Year Planes Don't Wait Nominated [37]
2024 Canadian Country Music Association Musical Collaboration of the Year "Day After Day"
(with Dallas Smith)
Nominated [38]

References

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  1. ^ Doole, Kerry (August 12, 2021). "Music News Digest, Aug. 12, 2021". FYI Music News.
  2. ^ Wells, Adam (October 18, 2018). "Who is Shawn Austin? Introducing Canada's next big country star". Global News.
  3. ^ Bickell, Dutch (June 27, 2017). "Shawn Austin releases debut single "Paradise Found"". Canadian Beats Media.
  4. ^ a b c
  5. ^ "Shawn Austin Releases New Single "Get Me There" Review". Front Porch Music. June 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "New Shawn Austin Single "You Belong"". Front Porch Music. November 8, 2018.
  7. ^ Dagg, Nanci (September 4, 2018). "Shawn Austin's lead single, "You Belong," from his upcoming self-titled EP is released everywhere today!". Canadian Beats Media.
  8. ^ Murray, Joshua (September 29, 2018). "Shawn Austin, Debut Album Review". The Reviews Are In.
  9. ^ Hather, Amanda (September 28, 2018). "Review – Shawn Austin". Canadian Beats Media.
  10. ^ Hather, Amanda (April 18, 2019). "Shawn Austin releases new single, "What Do I Know"". Canadian Beats Media.
  11. ^ "Top Country Pick: Shawn Austin's What Do I Know". Top Country. August 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Murray, Joshua; Cassling, Trish (June 13, 2019). "Shawn Austin – What Do I Know Lyric Video Release & 5 Quick Questions". The Reviews Are In.
  13. ^ "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: Shawn Austin's "The Little Things"". Complete Country. February 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Help Make a Hit on 'Songland' [WATCH]". The Boot. May 18, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Karra, Sushma (May 18, 2020). "'Songland': Ester transforms Shawn's original song into 'Lean On', wins over fans with appealing upgrade". Meaww. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  16. ^ Trapp, Philip (May 19, 2020). "Florida Georgia Line Light Up 'Songland' Winner 'Second Guessing' [Watch]". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  17. ^ Dagg, Nanci (August 31, 2021). "Interview – Shawn Austin". Canadian Beats Media.
  18. ^ "SHAWN AUSTIN SIGNED AS FLAGSHIP ARTIST TO BIG LOUD / DALLAS SMITH JOINT VENTURE, LOCAL HAY". Big Loud Records. August 11, 2021.
  19. ^ Weishar, Jenna (September 1, 2021). "Shawn Austin Talks About Single "Tailgate to Heaven" ft. Chris Lane". Front Porch Music.
  20. ^ Colley, Katie (August 11, 2021). "Shawn Austin Teams Up With Country Superstar Chris Lane On New Single 'Tailgate To Heaven'". ET Canada. Archived from the original on August 11, 2021.
  21. ^ Dagg, Nanci (November 29, 2021). "Dallas Smith has announced The Some Things Never Change 2022 Tour and debuted his new single "Hide from a Broken Heart" at a special performance on CCCMA Awards Show". Canadian Beats Media.
  22. ^ Amery, Richard (June 2, 2022). "Shawn Austin getting road legs back on Some Things Never Change tour". The Lethbridge Alberta Beat. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  23. ^ a b South, Whitney (January 30, 2023). "Shawn Austin Returns to Budweiser Gardens Tonight with Old Dominion". 519 Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Melanson, Jenna (July 27, 2023). "ZOOMIES – SHAWN AUSTIN UNVEILS EP, DIRT ROADS DOWNTOWN". Canadian Beats Media. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  25. ^ Pape, Hendrik (December 12, 2023). "TYLER JOE MILLER, SHAWN AUSTIN AND ANDREW HYATT TEAM UP FOR THE 2024 COUNTRY MIXTAPE TOUR". Sound Check Entertainment. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  26. ^ Dagg, Nanci (April 8, 2024). "Shawn Austin unveils new EP, Words". Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  27. ^
  28. ^ "Canadian certifications – Shawn Austin". Music Canada. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  29. ^ "Shawn Austin - What Do I Know" (video). YouTube. June 13, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  30. ^ "Shawn Austin - The Little Things (Official Video)" (video). YouTube. March 10, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  31. ^ "Shawn Austin - Tailgate To Heaven (Official Music Video)" (video). YouTube. November 4, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  32. ^ "Search Past CCMA Awards Nominees - Shawn Austin". Canadian Country Music Association. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  33. ^ Kennedy, John R. (September 21, 2021). "The Reklaws Lead 2021 CCMA Awards Nominations". iHeartRadio.ca. Bell Media.
  34. ^ Samhan, Jamie (November 30, 2021). "2021 CCMA Awards winners list: Dallas Smith voted entertainer of the year". Global News.
  35. ^ "2022 CCMA AWARD NOMINEES". Canadian Country Music Association. Archived from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  36. ^ "TENILLE TOWNES TAKES HOME FOUR WINS AT THE 2022 CCMA AWARDS PRESENTED BY TD". Canadian Country Music Association. Global News Wire. September 11, 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022.
  37. ^ "2023 CCMA Awards Nominees". Canadian Country Music Association. July 13, 2023. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  38. ^ "2024 CCMA AWARDS NOMINEES". Canadian Country Music Association. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
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