Johntá Austin ( ; born June 28, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, vocalist and

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, signed to

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

So So Def Recordings So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, ...

. He is known for collaborating with producers

Bryan-Michael Cox Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter who is notable for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. Among his most notable productions are " Be Wi ...

and the production duo

StarGate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen b ...

. He was awarded two Grammy Awards for his work on the songs "

We Belong Together "We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her 10th studio album, '' The Emancipation of Mimi'' (2005). The song was released on March 15, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. " ...

" by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the ...

and "

Be Without You "Be Without You" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Johnta Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jason Perry, and Blige for her seventh studio album, ''The Breakthrough'' (2005). Production was helmed by Cox and Young ...

" by

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Early life and career

Austin grew up in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, Georgia. In 1989, at the age of 8, Austin hosted the daily television show, ''Kid's Beat'' on TBS. Covering current events, sports and the entertainment world, Austin went on to become the Atlanta Bureau Chief for the CNN weekly news program, ''Real News for Kids'' and the reporter for the TBS half-hour weekly, ''Feed Your Mind''. Austin is also related to

Dreamville Records Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas, Ari Lennox ...

signee J.i.D. Austin grew up singing in church choirs and wanted to become an actor. He interviewed celebrities as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

, among others, and in 1993, he made his television debut on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, a ...

'', where he admitted he loved singing and was offered to sing with

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted the late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Co ...

's band.

Songwriting

1996–2004

Austin's first professional credit as a songwriter was the single " Can't Be Wasting My Time" for singer

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a Half length portrait, half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described ...

. Austin was signed in the mid-late 1990s to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

before being dropped in favor of R&B singer

Tyrese Gibson Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...

. However, he ended up writing a few songs for him (including the hit " Sweet Lady") as well as writing for other artists. In 1998, Austin co-wrote the single " Miss You" for Aaliyah's self-titled third studio album (2001). Instead, it was later included on the posthumously released compilation album, '' I Care 4 U'' (2002) alongside other Austin-penned songs "All I Need", "Come Over", and "Don't Worry". Austin co-wrote "Just Be a Man About it" for '' The Heat'', third studio album for

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

2005–2009

Austin co-wrote

's hit 2005 singles, "

", "

Don't Forget About Us "Don't Forget About Us" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri and Cox. It was released as the fifth single on Octobe ...

", " It's Like That", and "

Shake It Off "Shake It Off" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. Swift wrote the lyrics and composed the melody with producers Max Martin and Shellback. An uptempo dance-pop song featuring a saxop ...

" from her album ''

The Emancipation of Mimi ''The Emancipation of Mimi'' is the tenth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released through Island Records on April 12, 2005. The album was considered Carey's "comeback album" by critics and became her highest-selling release in ...

''. "We Belong Together" stayed at number one for fourteen non-consecutive weeks, becoming the second longest-running number one song in US chart history at the time, behind Carey's 1996 collaboration with Boyz II Men on "One Sweet Day" (both songs have since been surpassed by

Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popul ...

and

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single " Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

' 2019 hit single "

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...

", which spent 19 weeks at the peak). "We Belong Together" won Grammy's for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. The same year Austin also co-wrote

's single "

" from her No. 1 selling CD ''

The Breakthrough ''The Breakthrough'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on December 20, 2005, by Geffen Records. Blige recorded the album with a host of songwriters and record producers, including 9th Wonder, Rodney Jerkins, ...

'' and Monica's single " Everytime Tha Beat Drop" from her album ''

The Makings of Me ''The Makings of Me'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica. It was released by J Records on October 3, 2006 in the United States. Built upon the hip hop, gospel and modern quiet storm styles of its predecessor, '' After the Storm'' ...

''. He is also featured as a guest artist on Jermaine Dupri's 2005 song, " Gotta Getcha" and has co-written few songs on

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

's self-titled debut album in 2005, such as " Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" and " Poppin'". He also co-wrote " With You" for Chris Brown and "Can I Call You" from

Marques Houston Marques Barrett Houston (born August 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actor. A member of the R&B group Immature/IMx from 1990 until 2002, Houston went solo in 2003. As an actor, he is best known for his role as Roger Evans ...

's debut album '' MH'' in 2003. Austin produced and was featured on the songs " Shortie Like Mine" and "

Outta My System "Outta My System" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It's the second and final single off his fifth studio album ''The Price of Fame''. It features singers T-Pain and Johntá Austin. The original next single was supposed to be "I'm a Flirt" b ...

", both singles by rapper Bow Wow off his album '' The Price of Fame''. Both of the songs were successful, "Shortie Like Mine" reaching number nine, and "Outta My System" reaching number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Austin has confirmed on his Twitter that he is working on Love, Sex & Religion again. Austin also recently worked on albums by

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

, Jermaine Dupri, and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

. Austin co-wrote "

Still A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale. Stills have been u ...

" by Canadian singer

Tamia Tamia Marilyn Washington Hill (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer. Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Tamia performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. In 1994, after signing a development dea ...

, found on her 2004 release, '' More'', "This Song" by

LeToya Luckett LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a me ...

, found on her 2006 debut, '' LeToya'', He also co-wrote "My Heart" on

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisi ...

's self-titled debut album ''

'' (2008). In 2007, Austin co-wrote " Can't Help but Wait" by

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day'' ...

for his second studio album, ''

Trey Day ''Trey Day'' is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on October 1, 2007, by Atlantic Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with 73,000 copies sold in the first wee ...

''. The song was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. Austin continuing his work with Trey Songz in 2009 and would go on to executive produce and write on his next album

Ready Ready may refer to: Film and television * ''Ready'', a 2002 British short starring Imelda Staunton * ''Ready'' (2008 film), a Telugu film * ''Ready'' (2011 film), a Hindi remake of the Telugu film * "Ready" (''New Girl''), a television episo ...

. Austin wrote "One Love" with his musical partner Bryan Michael-Cox. Austin also co-wrote " I Need A Girl" which saw radio success reaching No. 6 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song chart.

2010–present

In 2010, Austin co-wrote the song "Foolin Around" with

and Bryan Michael-Cox for Usher's Grammy award-winning album '' Raymond v. Raymond''. Also, he co-wrote the song "Never Let You Go" for Justin Bieber's debut album '' My World 2.0''. He executive produced and sang background vocal on ''

Passion, Pain & Pleasure ''Passion, Pain & Pleasure'' (stylized as PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE) is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz; it was released on September 14, 2010. The album serves as a follow-up to his commercial breakthrough ''R ...

'', the fourth studio album of Trey Songz. On June 25, 2010, in Los Angeles, California, at the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

23rd annual Rhythm & Soul music awards, Austin received the prestigious award of Song of the Decade for "We Belong Together" by

, alongside fellow producer

and songwriter Manuel Seal. He is currently a recurring character on the Fox show Star (2016) alongside hip hop legend

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

Solo career

After achieving success writing for other artists, Austin began work on his full-length debut album ''Ocean Drive'' on So So Def/Virgin Records. His first single "Lil' More Love" was released on June 7, 2005. It was followed by the release of "Dope Fiend" on November 29 later that year. While the album's first two singles failed to achieve radio/chart success, the label released a third single "Turn It Up" on July 11, 2006 along with a

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

-added version in November. A fourth single, "Video" featuring

Unk Anthony Leonard Platt (born November 28, 1981) commonly known by his stage name Unk, is an American DJ, hype man, and rapper. Some of his work has featured on the 2K Sports 2K is an American video game publisher based in Novato, Californ ...

was released a year later on July 31, 2007. Following the departure of So So Def Recordings from

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldw ...

for

Island Def Jam The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...

in 2007, the album was pushed back from a February 6, 2007, release to a September 4 release. A final single, the ballad "The One That Got Away" was released in 2008, before the album was eventually shelved. In 2010, Austin released a digital single "Close Your Eyes". In 2012, Austin announced the upcoming release of the "Love" EP, part 1 of a three-part release with the subsequent "Sex" and "Religion" EPs to follow. "Love" EP was released on December 12 preceded by the buzz single "What a Feeling" featuring Jermaine Dupri.

Discography

Studio albums

*2008: ''Ocean Drive'' (Shelved) *2019: ''Love, Sex, & Religion''

EPs

*2012: ''Love''

Singles

Featured singles

References

External links

Official Def Jam page

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Johnta 1980 births Living people African-American male singer-songwriters African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American hip hop singers American contemporary R&B singers Grammy Award winners Island Records artists Musicians from Atlanta Record producers from Georgia (U.S. state) So So Def Recordings artists 21st-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)