Austin Lanier has released his new single 'Me Time', taken from his recent self-titled debut album. "I wrote 'Me Time' during a time in my life where I found myself getting pulled in 100 different directions", explains Austin. "After spending most of my life trying to please everyone, and of course failing, I decided it was time to take care of myself. 'Me Time' is a declaration that I'm focused on what God's purpose is for my life, and I won't allow anyone to pull me off that path."
Austin was born in Newport... Read MoreAustin Lanier has released his new single 'Me Time', taken from his recent self-titled debut album. "I wrote 'Me Time' during a time in my life where I found myself getting pulled in 100 different directions", explains Austin. "After spending most of my life trying to please everyone, and of course failing, I decided it was time to take care of myself. 'Me Time' is a declaration that I'm focused on what God's purpose is for my life, and I won't allow anyone to pull me off that path."
Austin was born in Newport News, Virginia. Although he came from a loving family, Newport News was often referred to as 'Bad Newz.' In kindergarten Austin started having behavioral problems and was diagnosed with AD/HD. He was put on medicine, constantly being suspended from school and due to his behavior, he was also forced to constantly change schools. At the age of 15 his parents moved him from Newport News to Yorktown in hopes of finding him a better school. All this led Austin to develop a deep self-hatred of himself, thinking people only loved him when he took his medicine.
After high school Austin decided to attend Goddard College in Vermont with the idea of studying AD/HD, the disease that had haunted him since kindergarten. But the same thing happened, he once again found himself caught up in drugs and alcohol, partying, failing to make it one semester. He had no choice but to move back home and found himself once again in the streets of Newport News, the depression once again set in. This led to stressed induced ulcers, migraines and general health problems.
Christmas 2014 Austin decided to leave Virginia with $300 dollars in his pocket and drove 1500 miles to San Marcos, TX. He got a minimum wage job and slept on the floor for six months. He eventually got a better job and began to work on his music. Eventually he began to have enough success with his music to quit his full-time job, and then it happened again. He found himself struggling with drugs, partying, depression, and found himself on his way back to Virginia.
It was during this time that his former youth pastor, John Paul, reached out. He offered to let Austin stay with him in Nashville, TN and he accepted. This is where Pastor John Paul began his discipleship of Austin and where Austin came to realize how important it was to surround himself with good people. During his six month stay in Nashville, Austin was able to meet with record companies and A&R Execs, where he was rejected by every single one of them. Knowing Nashville was not the place for him, Austin decided to try Texas once again.
Once arriving backing in Texas, Houston to be exact, Austin connected with Tre9 and became a part of his mentoring program and plugged into the ministry. He sold his pistol and stopped doing drugs, because now he felt he had the people to help him through.
It was here his opportunities began to explode and he began to perform with nationally recognized artists such as Slim Thug and Paul Wall. But unlike the other times, Austin has not fallen off, "trust God and chase your dreams."
