Photo: Paramount +Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas' son is speaking out on his experiences growing up.Tron Austin, 25, appears in the new Paramount+ seriesFamily Legacy, where he talks about what it was like to grow up on the road with iconic R&B/hip-hop groupTLC— aGrammy-winning trio that also includedTionne “T-Boz” Watkinsand the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.“I think honestly some of my favorite memories are just seeing them in their zone,” Austin tells PEOPLE. “Because I see the rehearsals too, right? So they’ve rehearsed to like 8, 12 hours a day, working like dogs, man. And I would see that all that hard work come to fruition whenever they do the shows and there’s 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, whatever the stadium is.“Austin continues, “It’s like they’re just doing their thing and everyone’s all in, for me to take that in was inspiring for me, both as an artist myself and as an aspiring father.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The singer — son of Chilli, 52, and music producerDallas Austin, 52 — married wife Jeong Ah Wang in December and says the memories “make me want to thrive and push myself to the limits to be the absolute most because I’ve seen my mother do that. I see my father do that.““I just think that with such a crazy background, it’s an honor to be able to experience those things from such a young age.“Austin started his own musical career in 2018 when he presented his parents with a completed EP to illustrate he was “really serious” about a music career.“I produced everything, I wrote everything, and I gave it to my parents, kind of letting them know that this is what I want to do in life. And since then, finding myself as an artist was probably the biggest hurdle because, alright, you come from that, but you really have to be yourself and do it for yourself. So that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from the experience as an individual, that trying to become your own artist requires a lot of time, patience and finding yourself. “PHOTO: Chad HessPHOTO: Chad HessFrom bringing him on tour with TLC this summer as a drummer toperforming TikTok dances to his tracks, Chilli is a proud and supportive mom, which “means everything” to him as an artist and a son.“We always had talked about this, because I was like, ‘If I don’t have the chops, please let me know because I don’t want to pursue the wrong path in life just because I saw you do it,’ " he shares.“She let me know that I really have a genuine talent and I can really pursue this because it’s just in me. That felt good to know that support was there.“When it comes to theconversation around “nepo babies,” Austin says that growing up with celebrity parents can be a “double-edged sword.““Because you do have more resources. You do have more things that you can do, but you also have higher expectations and if you don’t live up to it, you also have a platform and people watching and no excuses,” he explains.While acknowledging that some celebrity kids may not have laid the best examples in the past, he notes, “The only people who can change that stigma are the people who are in the position.“Paramount +“So that’s kind of my goal, not necessarily to change people’s minds, but just to make them think. Because there’s a lot of drama and stuff that you didn’t really sign up for — you’re just there, you just exist so you don’t have a choice.“Austin hopes his appearance inFamily Legacynot only helps tell TLC’s story but cement his mom’s great dedication to her family as well.“We see the backstage, we see the costumes coming off of microphones and I don’t think that people get to see that part, that we really appreciate our parents a lot for doing what they do and putting themselves on the line like that,” he says.“It’s a very hard job and you can’t be there all the time, even when you have kids, you have to keep going in this direction. As an aspiring father, I think of how I want to do similar with my kids. I want to make sure I’m there as much as possible, but that they also understand that daddy needs to do what daddy needs to do, and it doesn’t change the love between us.“The bond between him and Chilli is as strong as ever, with the 25-year-old even giving her new boyfriend,Matthew Lawrence, his seal of approval.“Oh man, I just like seeing her happy, you know? As someone who is now five years into my relationship, I love seeing humans connect and witnessing that genuineness. I feel that from him. We’ve only met a couple of times because they’re really building their relationship since she’s very careful about that kind of stuff.“Austin notes that relationships in the spotlight “are not as easy as it seems,” and feels lucky his own wife “didn’t know who my parents were” before they got together.On his mom’s new romance, he said that Chilli’s willingness to “be public about” the budding relationship “shows me that this is a very special person in her life.““I wish them all the best and I think he’s a great guy,” he continues. “I do MMA and he said that he recently started doing jujitsu, so we have some commonalities and stuff that we talk about. I’m really happy for her.”
Photo: Paramount +
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas' son is speaking out on his experiences growing up.Tron Austin, 25, appears in the new Paramount+ seriesFamily Legacy, where he talks about what it was like to grow up on the road with iconic R&B/hip-hop groupTLC— aGrammy-winning trio that also includedTionne “T-Boz” Watkinsand the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.“I think honestly some of my favorite memories are just seeing them in their zone,” Austin tells PEOPLE. “Because I see the rehearsals too, right? So they’ve rehearsed to like 8, 12 hours a day, working like dogs, man. And I would see that all that hard work come to fruition whenever they do the shows and there’s 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, whatever the stadium is.“Austin continues, “It’s like they’re just doing their thing and everyone’s all in, for me to take that in was inspiring for me, both as an artist myself and as an aspiring father.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The singer — son of Chilli, 52, and music producerDallas Austin, 52 — married wife Jeong Ah Wang in December and says the memories “make me want to thrive and push myself to the limits to be the absolute most because I’ve seen my mother do that. I see my father do that.““I just think that with such a crazy background, it’s an honor to be able to experience those things from such a young age.“Austin started his own musical career in 2018 when he presented his parents with a completed EP to illustrate he was “really serious” about a music career.“I produced everything, I wrote everything, and I gave it to my parents, kind of letting them know that this is what I want to do in life. And since then, finding myself as an artist was probably the biggest hurdle because, alright, you come from that, but you really have to be yourself and do it for yourself. So that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from the experience as an individual, that trying to become your own artist requires a lot of time, patience and finding yourself. “PHOTO: Chad HessPHOTO: Chad HessFrom bringing him on tour with TLC this summer as a drummer toperforming TikTok dances to his tracks, Chilli is a proud and supportive mom, which “means everything” to him as an artist and a son.“We always had talked about this, because I was like, ‘If I don’t have the chops, please let me know because I don’t want to pursue the wrong path in life just because I saw you do it,’ " he shares.“She let me know that I really have a genuine talent and I can really pursue this because it’s just in me. That felt good to know that support was there.“When it comes to theconversation around “nepo babies,” Austin says that growing up with celebrity parents can be a “double-edged sword.““Because you do have more resources. You do have more things that you can do, but you also have higher expectations and if you don’t live up to it, you also have a platform and people watching and no excuses,” he explains.While acknowledging that some celebrity kids may not have laid the best examples in the past, he notes, “The only people who can change that stigma are the people who are in the position.“Paramount +“So that’s kind of my goal, not necessarily to change people’s minds, but just to make them think. Because there’s a lot of drama and stuff that you didn’t really sign up for — you’re just there, you just exist so you don’t have a choice.“Austin hopes his appearance inFamily Legacynot only helps tell TLC’s story but cement his mom’s great dedication to her family as well.“We see the backstage, we see the costumes coming off of microphones and I don’t think that people get to see that part, that we really appreciate our parents a lot for doing what they do and putting themselves on the line like that,” he says.“It’s a very hard job and you can’t be there all the time, even when you have kids, you have to keep going in this direction. As an aspiring father, I think of how I want to do similar with my kids. I want to make sure I’m there as much as possible, but that they also understand that daddy needs to do what daddy needs to do, and it doesn’t change the love between us.“The bond between him and Chilli is as strong as ever, with the 25-year-old even giving her new boyfriend,Matthew Lawrence, his seal of approval.“Oh man, I just like seeing her happy, you know? As someone who is now five years into my relationship, I love seeing humans connect and witnessing that genuineness. I feel that from him. We’ve only met a couple of times because they’re really building their relationship since she’s very careful about that kind of stuff.“Austin notes that relationships in the spotlight “are not as easy as it seems,” and feels lucky his own wife “didn’t know who my parents were” before they got together.On his mom’s new romance, he said that Chilli’s willingness to “be public about” the budding relationship “shows me that this is a very special person in her life.““I wish them all the best and I think he’s a great guy,” he continues. “I do MMA and he said that he recently started doing jujitsu, so we have some commonalities and stuff that we talk about. I’m really happy for her.”
Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas' son is speaking out on his experiences growing up.
Tron Austin, 25, appears in the new Paramount+ seriesFamily Legacy, where he talks about what it was like to grow up on the road with iconic R&B/hip-hop groupTLC— aGrammy-winning trio that also includedTionne “T-Boz” Watkinsand the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.
“I think honestly some of my favorite memories are just seeing them in their zone,” Austin tells PEOPLE. “Because I see the rehearsals too, right? So they’ve rehearsed to like 8, 12 hours a day, working like dogs, man. And I would see that all that hard work come to fruition whenever they do the shows and there’s 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, whatever the stadium is.”
Austin continues, “It’s like they’re just doing their thing and everyone’s all in, for me to take that in was inspiring for me, both as an artist myself and as an aspiring father.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The singer — son of Chilli, 52, and music producerDallas Austin, 52 — married wife Jeong Ah Wang in December and says the memories “make me want to thrive and push myself to the limits to be the absolute most because I’ve seen my mother do that. I see my father do that.”
“I just think that with such a crazy background, it’s an honor to be able to experience those things from such a young age.”
Austin started his own musical career in 2018 when he presented his parents with a completed EP to illustrate he was “really serious” about a music career.
“I produced everything, I wrote everything, and I gave it to my parents, kind of letting them know that this is what I want to do in life. And since then, finding myself as an artist was probably the biggest hurdle because, alright, you come from that, but you really have to be yourself and do it for yourself. So that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from the experience as an individual, that trying to become your own artist requires a lot of time, patience and finding yourself. "
PHOTO: Chad HessPHOTO: Chad Hess
From bringing him on tour with TLC this summer as a drummer toperforming TikTok dances to his tracks, Chilli is a proud and supportive mom, which “means everything” to him as an artist and a son.
“We always had talked about this, because I was like, ‘If I don’t have the chops, please let me know because I don’t want to pursue the wrong path in life just because I saw you do it,’ " he shares.
“She let me know that I really have a genuine talent and I can really pursue this because it’s just in me. That felt good to know that support was there.”
When it comes to theconversation around “nepo babies,” Austin says that growing up with celebrity parents can be a “double-edged sword.”
“Because you do have more resources. You do have more things that you can do, but you also have higher expectations and if you don’t live up to it, you also have a platform and people watching and no excuses,” he explains.
While acknowledging that some celebrity kids may not have laid the best examples in the past, he notes, “The only people who can change that stigma are the people who are in the position.”
Paramount +
“So that’s kind of my goal, not necessarily to change people’s minds, but just to make them think. Because there’s a lot of drama and stuff that you didn’t really sign up for — you’re just there, you just exist so you don’t have a choice.”
Austin hopes his appearance inFamily Legacynot only helps tell TLC’s story but cement his mom’s great dedication to her family as well.
“We see the backstage, we see the costumes coming off of microphones and I don’t think that people get to see that part, that we really appreciate our parents a lot for doing what they do and putting themselves on the line like that,” he says.
“It’s a very hard job and you can’t be there all the time, even when you have kids, you have to keep going in this direction. As an aspiring father, I think of how I want to do similar with my kids. I want to make sure I’m there as much as possible, but that they also understand that daddy needs to do what daddy needs to do, and it doesn’t change the love between us.”
The bond between him and Chilli is as strong as ever, with the 25-year-old even giving her new boyfriend,Matthew Lawrence, his seal of approval.
“Oh man, I just like seeing her happy, you know? As someone who is now five years into my relationship, I love seeing humans connect and witnessing that genuineness. I feel that from him. We’ve only met a couple of times because they’re really building their relationship since she’s very careful about that kind of stuff.”
Austin notes that relationships in the spotlight “are not as easy as it seems,” and feels lucky his own wife “didn’t know who my parents were” before they got together.
On his mom’s new romance, he said that Chilli’s willingness to “be public about” the budding relationship “shows me that this is a very special person in her life.”
“I wish them all the best and I think he’s a great guy,” he continues. “I do MMA and he said that he recently started doing jujitsu, so we have some commonalities and stuff that we talk about. I’m really happy for her.”
source: people.com
