Austin Giorgio - chronicles of the darkest hour - volume 2 art feature

Austin Giorgio mesmerizes with velvety vocals, weaving dark, cinematic melodies evoking blockbuster grandeur. Learn more about Austin below and his debut album, Chronicles of the Darkest Hour.

Rachel M (also owner of Darling Embers), Allison, and I had the chance to hop on a video chat with Austin, and it was so great—not only to catch up, but also to dive deep with him in reflecting on 2024 and looking ahead to 2025.

We’ve all been long-time fans and followers of Austin, and I, Rachel K., had the pleasure of not only interviewing him but also hosting him as a special guest—The Shadowsinger—at my Starfall Ball in 2023.

While this was technically an “interview” with questions Austin received in advance, it felt much more like a conversation-based Q&A—a chance to catch up, share some laughs, and go over our allotted time not once, but three times.

Watch the Interview Here:

Something important to note is that Austin didn’t even realize he had joined the bookish community—he didn’t find them; they (we) found him. Austin said, “I didn’t even know what BookTok was or that these types of books were there.”

While Austin read a lot as a child, it was only after coming off The Voice Season 14 that he really started diving back into both his music and reading. When asked to describe the kinds of books he reads, he said, “The books I read are like 007 mixed with all the best rom-coms.”

We recapped 2023 with Austin, which included dropping several hit bookish singles—Chokehold, Drip Off, Moon, and Against Me—along with both a U.S. and a European tour, and, arguably most exciting of all, a record deal.

When jumping straight into the music, there’s a lot to discuss. Austin's sound ranges from soulful to vibey beats, paired with lyrics that carry deep meaning. His music is widely loved and supported by the bookish community, with its sensual undertones complementing many romance and dark romance books. When describing himself, Austin said, “I keep saying I was born in the wrong era—or that maybe, with my music, I can redefine my generation.”

Moon was one of Austin’s biggest songs in 2024 and was “less traditional” compared to his other music. Austin mentioned that there’s a “weird balance when it comes to making music.”

While much of his music resonates with readers, the majority of his audience doesn’t come from the bookish community. “Dark romance isn’t everyone’s cup of tea”—which is totally valid. It isn’t for everyone. And while Austin’s music does cater to the dark romance crowd, it’s not meant to be limited to just that community.

Moon was about deep feelings—not just wanting someone, but needing them—and the pain that comes with losing them.

A wish for us—and a goal for Austin in the future—is more duets. He specifically mentioned wanting to collaborate with April Jai, widely known for Morally Grey and GROVEL, after she opened for him on his 2024 tour.

I immediately screamed, “YES!” I mean, just imagine the mash-up of these two powerhouses—it would break the internet… or at least the bookish community.

Austin himself is a reader. While he primarily reads dark romance, his collection does include a few romantasy titles. At Rachel K’s request and encouragement in 2023, Austin started the ACOTAR series and has read all of the books except A Court of Silver Flames. He does plan to finish the series but is waiting for the sixth book to drop before starting ACOSF.

When asked about ACOTAR, he said, “I’m not afraid to admit that I cried.” Austin recounted the emotions he felt during A Court of Wings and Ruin—specifically during the war and the ship scene. Without spoiling anything, it’s safe to say it was heart-wrenching.

On Austin's TBR:

Thanks to Rachel M's love for The Ravenhood Series by Kate Stewart, the audio version is in his very near future. We might have gone on a solid 10-minute tangent about the emotional turmoil he would get to experience if he started it, and our facial expressions were enough to convince him to get to it asap.

*Update from the Editors: Austin has since finished the Ravenhood series and is both grateful and mad at our team at the same time. Be warned - this is an emotionally charged and healing series.

When it comes to Austin’s music, I think we can all agree there are countless reasons why we love it—from the beats, the vibe, and the deep emotions it pulls from us. Austin has a talent for creating magical moments that not only make great music but also touch, support, empower, and heal listeners.

For Austin, creating music starts with the lyrics, then everything is built around them. This sparked an interesting conversation about what we hear versus what we feel in music.

“All the songs that really resonate with my book community are heavily written in Nashville. Nashville is really focused on songwriting. There’s great writing in L.A., Atlanta, and New York, and my main producers out in Sweden helped me write Moon. I find that all the songs I do in Nashville—Dangerous Hands, You Put a Spell on Me, Chokehold—all the ones that are very lyrically dense, are Nashville. Then songs like Drip Off, which is L.A., are more production-heavy. It’s a weird song to sing live, and it’s less traditional songwriting. Don’t get me wrong, I like them all—that’s the music side of things. You have to reach out into different bubbles.”

Austin goes on to say, “All my favorite songs aren’t released, and a couple of them won’t ever be released.”

I think, overall, the bookish community that listens to and loves Austin’s music connects with the energy it provides and the empowerment it offers. For me, hearing songs like Dangerous Hands, No Mercy, and You Put a Spell on Me brings a feeling of nostalgia. It creates a bridge between me and the books I read. Austin’s music, overall, helps calm the anxieties I feel in everyday life—another form of escapism.

While Austin’s music fits well with the bookish community and its vibes, only Chokehold is a song directly inspired by the book Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton, which is also the first book Austin read when joining the bookish community. We jumped into discussing this, and Austin spilled all about the song.

One of BookTok’s favorite songs is also one of Austin’s least favorites. He said, “I don’t not like it, but I debated releasing it.” I think we can all agree, BookTok would have gone feral if he never dropped the song after teasing us for months.

We talked with Austin about why he chose to tease this song. Unbeknownst to his audience, he had his record deal in the works and was in a “grey area” where he couldn’t put out new music. Instead, he chose to taunt and tantalize the BookTok community's ears with those ever-so-clever couple of lines...

“Yeah, tell me what you want, babe

Let me bet somethin' on your book page

What a wicked mind with some wicked ways

We could play pretend, you can call me Zade”

Check Out the Chokehold Music Trailer Here:

He knew the line was great, but the song wasn’t even complete, and, in truth, it was shelved multiple times. Austin said he had hoped BookTok would just forget about it and move on, but instead, it trended again, and again, and again, which meant he had to finish the song. The infamous line only came to be because he wanted to create something, and then it blew up. There were several versions, and Austin ultimately ended up happy with it, but it isn’t anywhere near being what he’s most proud of.

The song was finished by diving back into the book and creating verses based on the chapters, which is what he and the record label felt listeners wanted. Austin mentioned, “It isn’t something I want to do again,” as the song was less about the music and more of a novelty, which doesn’t reflect who he truly is.

When it came to the music video, it had a low budget, and he “didn’t think it would do well,” but looking back, he now says, “I should’ve done more.” And if anyone wants to know, H.D. Carlton herself approves of the song. Austin mentioned talking with her about it and loves her support. He is a huge fan of her writing and will always read whatever she puts out.

Inspiration for Austin’s music often comes from the artists he loves. He tends to gravitate toward jazz and incorporates a soulful sound into his music. Music is Austin’s art; it’s his form of expression—a combination of pouring his thoughts, feelings, and experiences into his songs, while also being inspired by the world and his family around him.

When it comes to Austin’s personal life, he has a lot of boundaries. While his music does have elements of his personal life in it, there is also a comment on public perception. Austin mentioned, “You don’t want to turn the light on in the theatre.” By limiting what he shows the world, he can let his music go where he wants. Austin said, “I know what to put out there that matches my music and who I am. Sometimes I have to step out and push myself, and sometimes it doesn’t work for me.” While the song Chokehold is on brand for Zade, it isn’t who Austin is.

A song that is likely to drop in December 2024, or if not, in 2025, is one of his favorite songs and what he mentioned being most proud of. The song is inspired by his grandfather; it pays homage to both his life and his death. Austin shared with us that just after being on The Voice, he bought a van to go on tour. Then COVID hit, and he ended up living with his grandfather for three months before his passing. That time was the best gift he could have received and a blessing. The song is called “Flyaway” and is more on the “real side of things.”

When it comes to 2024, one of the biggest highlights of the year was his European tour. Overall, “it was so much fun” sums it up. But it also had crazy energy, and everything that could go wrong, went wrong. The worst moment was when Austin’s mixer literally blew up before a concert, and a keyboard broke. Austin said, “We ordered one online, called an Uber to the store, and asked them to pick it up and drive it straight to the concert location.” There were many adventures, and getting to travel around London and Germany was the best part. One of the highlights of touring for Austin is getting to meet listeners in person, he shared, even recognizing a few who regularly engage and share his music.

What does 2025 have in store for Austin Giorgio? Well, here’s the scoop: Austin's debut album will be dropping. You read that right—Austin will have a full album with 14-15 songs, and it will be released on Valentine's Day. And Austin really did give us the scoop; he didn’t just tease us—he shared so much that we can’t wait to hear. A few of the songs that will be featured on the album are:

Flyaway, Cost Me Time, Alive: very rock-feeling songs and came from the idea of recognizing how much someone means to you, but not in a toxic way.

Ghost of You: is another that Austin is most excited about, which to him holds a deeper real-world meaning, straying away from the normal expectations of his listeners. The overall vibe and feel for his debut album will be heavier than his past singles.

When asked, "What does the bookish community mean to you?" Austin's response was, "It means a lot of different things." For him, it’s about the music, which the bookish community really connected him to, rather than him seeking it out. When it comes to reading, Austin says, “It isn’t even my business to know why someone reads, whether for fun or pleasure,” and he speaks on some of the comments and messages he receives about his music, noting that many of them relate to struggles with intimacy and how his music has helped couples' marriages. Ultimately, listeners have said that the combination of Austin’s music and books, along with the effort to learn and grow as a couple, has strengthened their relationships. “People love stories, whether for escapism or idealism; it has really created a sense of belonging through mutual interest and meaningful connections. This community is made up of really kind souls.”

On top of the album release, Austin's 2025 goals and resolutions include his tour, which will feature 20-30 US cities and a longer tour in Europe in the fall of 2025. Austin is also on the lookout for a cause. He mentioned that he is looking for “something humanitarian, a charity, or a greater cause to give back to.” He doesn’t know what this will be yet, but he has some ideas and feelings he wants to bring to life in the coming year. With a lot of touring comes a lot of travel and time on the road, which results in “a lot of time to read books on the road.” While Austin’s preference is for paperbacks, he does have a Kindle and reads on it quite a bit. At the start of his reading journey, he listened to a lot of audiobooks, but not as much anymore. A prediction for 2025 is that audiobooks will play a bigger role in his future when driving on the road.

Note: Since the release of Volume 2, the Romantasy Illustrated team had the chance to see Austin Giorgio when he was on tour in Dallas at The Limbo Room. If you would like to read that article, click here, linked in our blog.