Show notes: https://beyondthebasspodcast.com/episodes/au5

Au5 (Austin Collins) opens up about the deeper story behind his path — from being an intensely sensitive only child whose early identity was shaped by performance, validation, and pressure to be exceptional, to finding refuge in sound long before he had the words for what he was feeling. He talks about discovering music through the Casio SK-1, hiding his love for dance music, using production as both escape and expression, and how isolation, depression, and not feeling safe to be fully seen shaped the way he learned to create.

From there, the episode traces the turning points that changed everything: leaving college as music started taking off, the profound creative bond and loss of his collaborator Fractal, the long struggle between outside expectations and inner truth, and the slow shift toward trusting his own intuition in both art and life. What emerges is not just the story of a technically brilliant producer, but of someone learning that the music only works when it comes from what is most real — and that honoring that truth may be the deepest alignment he has.

Follow Au5:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/au5_official/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@au5_official

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/au5