Flashback a few years ago to when it all started for Austin Kassabian, better known by his stage name AK. Austin shared a poll to his twitter asking people if they thought he could freestyle over Desiigner’s wildly popular song “Panda.”
Thoroughly surprised with the responses he received, the poll he put together was lopsided with doubters and non-supporters. This opened Austin’s eyes up to challenge the people online that were second-guessing his ability to freestyle.
After all the discouraging feedback he decided to record himself freestyling over the song (as seen in the video at the bottom of the page) and put the video online, which went viral. Fast forward to today and that same video has over 34 million views!
The New Jersey native and viral music star is currently ramping up for a promising ending to 2019. AK’s highly anticipated and the newest album “On Me” comes out on February 7, which has fans anxious as ever. In the meantime, Austin has been dropping new music. His latest single, “Closed Off,” came out in early October and already has fans amped on what’s to come in the near future.
Exclusive AK Interview
*This interview was edited for clarity*
Hey, how are things going for you right now?
Pretty amazing! I’m excited about all the music I’ve been making and putting out. I’m especially stoked about my next release “Oooo.” (Stream the newly released track on Spotify.)
How has it been since the release of “Closed Off?” (Which is a great track by the way)
“Closed Off” is the second self-produced single that I have put out. It has really opened up some new doors and opportunities for me, so we have some exciting things on the way. The love fans showed the song was overwhelming and such a blessing. Shoutout to the fans who keep watching and sharing the video and streaming my song. I’m glad they love the song as much as I do.
AK – CLOSED OFF (Official Music Video)
How excited are you for the new EP to come out? Is there anything you can share about it?
My EP “On Me” is releasing on February 7th. Based on the love the fans showed “Closed Off,” I’m so hype for the entire EP to drop because the project has other songs on it that I think fans are going to flip out over.
You have a tremendous amount of listeners at this point and a large audience – what sort of things are you after at this point? Is there anything you’re looking to accomplish in particular?
I’ve been super focused on myself for the past few months, so my self-growth and positive mindset is a big thing for me. Mental health is so important and it shouldn’t be slept on. Past that, as far as music, I want to continue doing what I’m doing and grow in all aspects of music and areas of my life.
Have you ever considered doing other things outside of music like experimenting with other avenues of work and creativity?
I think one day I’ll start expanding creatively in other avenues, but right now music is my main focus.
How were you able to reach so many fans on SoundCloud when you were first starting out?
I kept putting out music. I kept creating and releasing music and eventually over time more and more people started to gravitate towards it. It is still hard to wrap my head around it all and I can’t believe I am where I am. I’m so blessed and thankful for everything. I can’t wait for what the future holds.
Do you feel like it’s possible for others just starting out to do what you did?
Yes, 100 percent!
Is there any piece of advice that you would give to someone that’s on the outside looking in that might be wanting to live their life in a similar fashion as yours?
Appreciate the things you have while you’re working towards the things you want. Doing otherwise will drive you insane. Work hard, stay focused, and you can literally do anything you want.
“16 YEAR OLD KILLS PANDA REMIX!!!“
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Photos by Storm Santos & Jacob Clark
