Daily Inspiration: Meet Austin Hopkins

Growing up the youngest of five brothers, Austin was exposed to a variety of music.  From Michael Jackson, to Nirvana, Aerosmith and the Beatles, he enjoyed it all, but there was something about country music that spoke to him. Once he discovered Garth Books, he found himself trying to replicate Garth’s sound.  From that point Austin knew he wanted to have a career in singing. He would sing along with the radio and would record mix tapes. He found himself enthralled with the structure, lyrics and stories in songs, which ultimately inspired him to become a singer-songwriter.

Austin’s singer-songwriter journey has been a solo one since he did not grow up in a musical family, and didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 23. A single dad at that time, trying to practice and raise his son, he found songwriting an outlet to everyday life and relationship stress.

In 2009, Austin entered a contest hosted by a local radio station.  To Austin’s surprise, he was selected as one of the finalists. He performed his first original song “Beauty In The Breakdown”.  Though he didn’t move on to the next round, he used that experience to fuel him, and continued to song write and play at local shows.

Since then, he has been playing local shows and goes down to Nashville to perform in songwriter rounds. Austin’s music has been played all over the world on independent radio and TV (including Chicago’s (WLS) Emmy award winning show ‘Windy City Live’.), and he has won numerous awards.

What sets me apart, is that I have a distinctive voice that gives me a unique mix between country twang and modern pop. When songwriting, I base lyrics on real life situations so the listener can really relate to the lyrics.

Being an independent artist, you really have to make yourself stand out from others. With how easy it is to produce music and for people to get their music out there digitally, it’s very easy get lost in the crowd. For me, I have utilized social media to help get my music out to listeners. Apps like TikTok are the best way I’ve found to reach new fans.

I am most proud of having come from no musical background, working hard at what I have a passion for, and ultimately having my song Right Now resinate so much with people that it was played all over the world, on TV, and won multiple awards.