Michael Jackson's Nephew, Austin Brown, Performs at SXSW (Video)

Michael Jackson may be gone, but his family’s gene pool continues to breed talented artists hungry for stardom.

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Jackson’s nephew Austin Brown, the 26-year-old son of Rebbie Jackson, took the stage at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas over the weekend and caught the eye of CNN viewers on Monday, March 12.

Appearing on-air with Brooke Baldwin, Brown addressed his famous bloodline and why he chose to go against his parent’s wishes and pursue a musical career.

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“I just left home and did it,” said Brown of trying his hand at the music industry. “I always knew my love for music, I always knew it was something I was passionate about.”

Brown recalled lessons learned from Michael Jackson, but describes aunt Janet Jackson as “my heart.”

“He spent time with me, and all my cousins, to really show us why music was important and where to kind of put the elements to make the right message,” Brown said of MJ. “So, really honing in on what type of move that you’re doing and really what message you want to portray when you’re singing.”

Brown’s sound bears a striking resemblance to that of his late uncle, who died suddenly in June 2009. Watch bits of his performance in the video below.

Of his aunt Janet, Brown added: “She’s just a great person and a great person to talk to about anything, and we really had that relationship to where she’s the one -- no matter what I say to her, she never judges -- and I can talk to her about completely anything.”

The singer currently has one single posted to his VEVO page, titled “Menage A Trois.” On Monday, Brown tweeted that his new song “City of Angels” will debut on Tuesday via Vibe Magazine’s website.