The crowd began to form hours before 93.3 FLZ’s Pre-Show Freeshow. Hundreds of fans swarmed the stage in anticipation, reminded every so often of the showstoppers to come – and one of those was Austin Mahone, the teen heartthrob who became well-known for his smash hit “What About Love.”
Every mention of the performer’s name brought with it a wave of screams as time grew nearer for the young pop artist to perform two acoustic songs at the pre-show, and even more during the concert. His fans, known as Mahomies, had a hard time containing themselves; Mahone, on the other hand, kept his cool even though he was surrounded by some of the biggest names in music.
“I don’t really get star struck, but there’s a lot of talented artists here tonight,” Mahone said. “Jason Derulo’s amazing, a super talented guy; Miley always puts on a good show.”
Mahone first became YouTube-famous in 2011 and his popularity has skyrocketed since the first single, “Say Somethin,” with a debut album that is expected to drop next year.
“It’s going to be a really awesome album; I’ve worked really hard on it,” said Mahone. “I know my Mahomies are going to love it so I’m excited to put it out.”
Mahone is no stranger to Tampa, his grandparents live here, and he shared his favorite Christmas tradition — “helping my Granddad put the lights up on the house…I remember one year he fell off the roof,” Mahone laughed.
Tampa’s Jingle Ball was one of the last shows of the season, and the rising artist‘s excitement still hadn’t faded.
“It’s amazing being here. There’s a lot of artists that I’ve grown up listening to and it’s really cool just hanging out with them,” said Mahone. “It’s been an incredible year so far and I’ve done a lot of amazing things.”
Check out pictures of 93.3 FLZ’s Jingle Ball here.
Special thanks to Tommy Chuck, Kane, and everyone at 93.3 FLZ.
