 |
 |
It’s official, ladies and gents: Justin Bieber was only the beginning. The exceptionally youthful star has been credited with singlehandedly bringing back the ‘cute boy singing sensation’ that was first made famous by Tiger Beat and David Cassidy (we don’t expect you to remember them). But everyone knows how it works in showbiz: there’s always someone younger—and fresher—waiting in the wings to grab the spotlight. Enter Austin Mahone!
The new teen (or is it tween?) sensation has been blowing up the airwaves (and the broadband, via YouTube) with his singles “Say Somethin” and “What About Love?”, and the reactions from (predominantly young, female) fans is evident. Not since Bieber blew on the scene have Youtube comments looked like this:
he is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!
And that’s just one viewer. The enthusiasm is palpable and widespread for the 17 year-old singer, who owes YouTube for his fame: he is a sterling example of how modern-day talent comes up via social media and the web, having posted videos with friends back in 2007, which steadily grew in popularity.
Now, Mahone has one of the strongest social media presences for an up-and-coming star, with over 2.7 million fans on Facebook, 2.7 million followers on Twitter, 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and over 90 million views and approximately 500,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. Mahone’s die-hard fans even have their own pet name, in the style of Beliebers: “mahomies”!
 |
 |
 |
 |
Other acts to bust on the scene in similar fashion include Connor Maynard, Zedd, Jesse McCartney and Hunter Hayes, all part of this category of irresistibly cute boys with soulful voices and slightly wayward looks into the camera. They would all make perfect boyband material, which is why even One Direction and The Wanted can be included in this new wave of ‘boy-pop’.
 |
 |
As for Mr. Mahone, he is all too aware of the constant comparison to his slightly older peer Justin: he is quoted as saying, “It’s cool you know, he’s very successful, it’s very flattering. But you know I want people to give me a chance as my own artist…to see me as me.”
Recently named one of the 2013 Artists to Watch by MTV, we have one thing to say about Austin Mahone: We’re watching!!