We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Simmon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Austin, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from Los Angeles, but I moved to Phoenix when I was 8. I’m heavily influenced by west coast hip hop in regards to flow and beat choice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have learned over time that pure talent alone gets you nowhere. There has to be equal effort with marketing and actually creating music. There’s also proper strategies that put songs in front of people that do require some research. There’s a lot of work that goes in to being successful in music now a days, so artists MUST be borderline obsessed with this craft in order to see growth.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Culinary dropout is lit, I also like Sunday fundays at old town Scottsdale. The Westgate area in Glendale is also a good time

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom, Vivian Nash, played a huge role in where I am today. She signed me up for piano lessons and encouraged me to learn to play drums. Without her, I would not have any knowledge of music creation at all

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thisisaustinsimmon?igshid=1o3wsbbm609rh

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/AustinSimmon

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Z4mHEUQ2gcLUHFsJWrfeS?si=cTJAQwX5TuCzPyH1ASNbpQ

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.