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Austin Mahone: I want to be seen as different from Bieber

Austin Mahone stopped by the TODAY plaza Monday morning to perform some songs on the plaza, including his single "Say Something," and the pop star opened up on his music collection, sudden stardom, and the inevitable comparisons to Justin Bieber.Mahone's quick rise to fame in 2011 came via his viral YouTube videos, which he released weekly. As time went on, he said, he steadily accumulated attenti
Austin Mahone Monday, June 10, 2013, in New York, N.Y. (Rebecca Davis / TODAY)
Austin Mahone Monday, June 10, 2013, in New York, N.Y. (Rebecca Davis / TODAY)Rebecca Davis / TODAY

Austin Mahone stopped by the TODAY plaza Monday morning to perform some songs on the plaza, including his single "Say Something," and the pop star opened up on his music collection, sudden stardom, and the inevitable comparisons to Justin Bieber.

Mahone's quick rise to fame in 2011 came via his viral YouTube videos, which he released weekly. As time went on, he said, he steadily accumulated attention and followers until he was eventually signed by Chase/Universal Republic Records.

Mahone's path is similar to that of Justin Bieber's, and while Mahone said he doesn't mind the comparisons, he hopes to set himself apart.

"It's cool (to be compared to Justin Bieber), but I want people to see me as my own artist," the singer said on TODAY, where screaming teenage girls had packed Rockefeller Plaza to see him. "I want to show them that I'm different."

Now, as Mahone scrolls through his music collection on his phone, the names of the artists he once looked up to are his peers. The young singer walked TODAY.com through his collection, and spotlighted some of the tracks that he can't get enough of these days.

Do you like the songs on Mahone's playlist? Give it a listen!

Did you like Mahone's outfit? Get the details here.