# Austin Brown
**Austin Brown** is the name of several American musicians, most prominently an R&B singer-songwriter from the [Jackson family](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackson-family) (born 1985), a teen pop singer and social media personality from Oregon (born 2002) who records as AUSTN, and a former lead tenor of the a cappella group Home Free (born 1986).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Jackson-family singer | Nathaniel Austin Brown, born 1985, son of Rebbie Jackson and Nathaniel Brown; siblings Stacy and Yashi[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown) |
| His debut single | "Menage a Trois," released 14 February 2012; first release *Highway 85* followed in 2012[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown) • [2](https://entertainment.ie/music/exclusive-austin-brown-talks-music-career-and-his-uncle-michael-jackson-268872/) |
| Teen pop singer (AUSTN) | Born 2002 in Bend, Oregon; first single "In Betweenin'" released late 2018 on TenThousand Projects[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217) |
| AUSTN's debut EP | *Chapter 1: In Betweenin'*, released May 2019 on the L.A.-based indie label TenThousand Projects[4](https://bendbulletin.com/2019/06/13/austn-comes-home-to-bend/) |
| Home Free tenor | Born 1986, in Tifton, Georgia; lead tenor of Home Free, winners of season 4 of NBC's *The Sing-Off* in 2013; left the group in 2024[5](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/417470/Austin-Brown) |
## Austin Brown (Jackson family singer)
The oldest and most prominently profiled Austin Brown is **Nathaniel Austin Brown**, born 1985, the son of singer [Rebbie Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/rebbie-jackson), the eldest sister of [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), and Nathaniel Brown[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown) • [6](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/austin-brown). He grew up largely out of the spotlight, playing instruments during several of his mother's United States showcases in 1998, and announced he was entering "the family business" in 2004[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown). In interviews he has said he kept the surname Brown, his father's name, rather than adopting his mother's famous surname, to make clear the originality of his own path[7](https://www.bet.com/article/u4ytvi/austin-brown-featured-in-vogue-italia).
His debut single, "Menage a Trois," was released on 14 February 2012, and his first release, *Highway 85*, followed the same year[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown) • [2](https://entertainment.ie/music/exclusive-austin-brown-talks-music-career-and-his-uncle-michael-jackson-268872/). The album's title recalled both Michael Jackson's mid-1980s heyday and Brown's birth year, 1985, while the music drew on the sounds of the late 1960s and early 1970s[6](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/austin-brown). Brown described his sound as soul, R&B, and 1990s hip hop, with influences including the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and [Miles Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-davis)[7](https://www.bet.com/article/u4ytvi/austin-brown-featured-in-vogue-italia). Rather than signing with a major label, he co-founded his own label, South Five Records[2](https://entertainment.ie/music/exclusive-austin-brown-talks-music-career-and-his-uncle-michael-jackson-268872/).
He has recorded with a long list of collaborators, including [Pharrell Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/pharrell-williams), Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, Q-Tip, Ryan Tedder, Walter Afanasieff, Macy Gray, and [Raphael Saadiq](https://www.edgepedia.org/raphael-saadiq)[2](https://entertainment.ie/music/exclusive-austin-brown-talks-music-career-and-his-uncle-michael-jackson-268872/) • [1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown). He also started the Canyon Sessions, a regular event where singer-songwriters, musicians, poets, and spoken word artists share their art in an acoustic space[1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown).
His later releases include the single "Lay Low" on 1 July 2022, the first offering from his project *The Festival*, and "Dirty Little Secret" with DJ Tony Touch under the name Caliyork in February 2022[8](https://thisisrnb.com/2022/06/exclusive-premiere-austin-brown-debuts-first-single-lay-low-from-his-upcoming-project-the-festival-%E2%9E%95-exclusive-interview-with-thisisrnb/) • [1](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown). Apple Music lists albums including *Canyon Sessions* (2017), *Heart Over Mind* (2021), and the compilation *The Festival* (2025), along with singles such as "AMERICA" (2024) and "Take Care of Me" (2025)[9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/austin-brown/452556696).
## Austin Brown (AUSTN, pop singer)
A second musician of the same name is a **pop singer-songwriter born in 2002 in Bend, Oregon**, who records as AUSTN[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217). He began posting covers of songs by artists such as Flume and Juice WRLD on social media as a teenager, playing ukulele and singing, and built a following in the hundreds of thousands[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217). In 2018 he moved to Los Angeles intending to act, but his music clips resonated more with his audience, and he turned to recording original songs[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217).
His first single and video, "In Betweenin'," was released in late 2018, followed months later by "Mean"[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217). His debut EP, *Chapter 1: In Betweenin'*, came out in May 2019 on the Los Angeles-based indie label TenThousand Projects and drew attention from Billboard, Tiger Beat, and J-14[4](https://bendbulletin.com/2019/06/13/austn-comes-home-to-bend/). According to a news release announcing the EP, he began singing by age 2 but had poor hearing for his first four years because the tubes in his ears had been closed since birth; surgery corrected the problem[4](https://bendbulletin.com/2019/06/13/austn-comes-home-to-bend/). He has cited [Katy Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-perry), Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, Adele, and [Julia Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/julia-michaels) among his vocal influences[4](https://bendbulletin.com/2019/06/13/austn-comes-home-to-bend/).
## Austin Brown (Home Free vocalist)
A third Austin Brown, **born 1986 in Tifton, Georgia**, is a singer-songwriter and producer best known as the lead tenor of the a cappella country group Home Free, which won season 4 of NBC's *The Sing-Off* in 2013[5](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/417470/Austin-Brown). After more than a decade with the group, he left in 2024 to focus on his family and a solo career, relocating to Nashville[5](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/417470/Austin-Brown).
## References
1. [AUSTIN Brown, Jackson Source](https://jackson-source.com/nextgeneration/austin-brown)
2. [Exclusive: Austin Brown talks music career and his uncle, Michael Jackson, entertainment.ie](https://entertainment.ie/music/exclusive-austin-brown-talks-music-career-and-his-uncle-michael-jackson-268872/)
3. [Austin Brown, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/austin-brown-mn0003567217)
4. [AUSTN comes home to Bend, The Bulletin](https://bendbulletin.com/2019/06/13/austn-comes-home-to-bend/)
5. [Austin Brown, All American Speakers](https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/417470/Austin-Brown)
6. [Austin Brown, Interview Magazine](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/austin-brown)
7. [Austin Brown Featured in Vogue Italia, BET](https://www.bet.com/article/u4ytvi/austin-brown-featured-in-vogue-italia)
8. [Exclusive Premiere: Austin Brown Debuts First Single "Lay Low," ThisisRnB](https://thisisrnb.com/2022/06/exclusive-premiere-austin-brown-debuts-first-single-lay-low-from-his-upcoming-project-the-festival-%E2%9E%95-exclusive-interview-with-thisisrnb/)
9. [Austin Brown, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/austin-brown/452556696)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 2010s to present › Surnames symbols to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license