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Ace Young

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Ace Young
Years active2000—present

Brett Asa "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980 in Denver, Colorado) is an American singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter and actor. He came to national recognition upon appearing on the fifth season of the popular reality television talent show, American Idol, although he was eliminated from the competition on April 19, 2006, finishing in seventh place.

Biography

Early years

Young, who is of German and Irish descent,[1] was raised in Denver, Colorado,[2]. He is the fifth and last son of Jay Young, a retired minor-league baseball player, and Kay Whitney, a cosmetologist and member of the Mormon Church (although Young himself is not a member of the Mormon religion, but rather a non-denominational Christian).[3] Young has four older brothers: Josh, Duff, Marc, and Ryan. He was named after his maternal great-grandfather, Asa, and after baseball player George Brett; he has been called Ace by his family since his childhood and did not know his legal name until he was six years old.[4]

Young, who has been singing since the age of nine, attended voice lessons and performed at local shopping malls and recreation centers during his youth.[5] He performed at various venues in Colorado and other western states, most notably at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Young graduated from Fairview High School, his local high school, in 1999, having participated in athletics, choir, and International Baccalaureate classes during his school years.[6]

After his high school graduation, Young opened for Brian McKnight and New Edition, and sang the national anthem at Denver Nuggets games. His first published song, "Reason I Live" was featured in the 2000 film The Little Vampire.[7]

In 2003, Young moved to Los Angeles, California, where he initially worked in sales and home remodeling. During this time, he guest-starred in an episode of Half & Half, playing a character named Ace Blackwell.[8]

American Idol

Young auditioned for American Idol in Denver, wearing a tuque beanie and singing a rendition of Westlife's "Swear It Again" and was unanimously passed on to the next round. American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson approved his entry, with Jackson noting that Young was one of the best singers he had seen audition. Simon Cowell disagreed with Abdul and Jackson but also approved Young, with a small "yes". He was introduced as Brett Young, with the name 'Ace' marked in quotations. Later, he told them he preferred to be called Ace, and the quotes were removed from his credits.

On April 4, the fourth week of the finals, was a designated country songs theme with Kenny Rogers. Young sang "Tonight I Wanna Cry," and received fairly positive reviews. Jackson said it was living proof that Young was single, and Abdul said the song was perfect for his range and that he sang an adequate rendition of a contemporary country music hit. Cowell thought Young had made a good song choice. Kenny Rogers also gave him very positive reviews, and later Young said he got the best advice from Rogers.[9]

On April 18, the sixth week of the finals, was songs from the Great American Songbook week with Rod Stewart. He sang "That's All." For this performance, Young had his hair tied back and was dressed up in a McQueen designer suit. Jackson commented that Young stumbled in the middle, but did well overall. Abdul commented that she liked the "new Ace" and called it "a magical night." Cowell said "it wasn't bad," but while he said the middle was a bit nasally, he called the performance "charming." The following night Young was placed in the "bottom three" with Daughtry and Bennett and was eliminated.

Week Theme Song Sung Artist Status
Audition - "Swear It Again" Westlife Selected
Semifinals
Top 24 (12 Men) 		- "Father Figure" George Michael Advanced
Semifinals
Top 20 (10 Men) 		- "If You're Not the One" Daniel Bedingfield Advanced
Semifinals
Top 16 (8 Men) 		- "Butterflies" Michael Jackson Advanced
Top 12 Songs of Stevie Wonder "Do I Do" Stevie Wonder Bottom 3
Top 11 Songs of the 1950s "In the Still of the Night" The Five Satins Safe
Top 10 Songs of the 2000s "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" Train Bottom 3
Top 9 Songs of Country Music "Tonight I Wanna Cry" Keith Urban Safe
Top 8 Songs of Queen "We Will Rock You"/"We Are The Champions" Queen Bottom 3
Top 7 Great American Songbook "That's All" Nat King Cole Eliminated

Post-Idol

On April 26, Young performed as a guest on Total Request Live. He has also appeared at the grand opening of The Camden House of Beverly Hills (an event showcasing rising stars under the age of thirty), was invited to the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, sang the national anthem at a summer Colorado Crush game and hosted a solo concert at the Pepsi Center.[4] Young continues to perform at the Pepsi Center in Denver.[10] He was named one of People Magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" on June 16, 2006.[11]

On October 20, 2006 , he released his first single "Scattered," with help from friend Elvio Fernandes, a musician in Rochester, NY. a digital download on iTunes Store.

Young helped write the chorus to Daughtry's debut single, "It's Not Over."

Young appeared and sang on the 2006 Walt Disney Christmas Day Parade along with fellow idol finalists Paris Bennett, Kevin Covais, and Mandisa.

On December 6, 2007, the 50th Annual Grammy Award nominations were announced and Young was nominated for Best Rock Song, alongside Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson and fellow American Idol alumnus Chris Daughtry, for his songwriting credit in Daughtry's debut album lead single It's Not Over. He lost to Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere.".[12]

In January 2008, Ace was named a Celebrity Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), where he will spend time assisting the charity with events and raising awareness for neuromuscular diseases.

On April 15, 2008, Ace released his second single, Addicted, available on iTunes and Amazon.

His well-received first video debuted in April 2008 on MySpace.[9]

On May 12, 2008 Ace appeared on FOX's hit show Bones alongside season six American Idol Contestant Brandon Rogers.[13] He played the part of a karaoke singer who ends up murdered and sang Nickelback's "Far Away".

On May 22, 2008, Ace was confirmed on an episode of TNA IMPACT that he will be at the performance of the wedding of So Cal Val and Jay Lethal.

Ace appeared on TNA Impact on Thursday May 29th, and debuted a new version of his "Addicted" music video, and also came out ringside with So Cal Val to support Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt in their match.

Ace appeared on TNA Wrestling's Slammiversary, and surprisingly got into the ring after Sonjay Dutt destroyed the wedding scene.

Young's self-titled debut album was released on July 15, 2008. Ace teamed up with veteran song writer and producer Desmond Child. Ace co-wrote seven of the eleven tracks on the album.

Ace performed on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon August 31 and September 1 live from Las Vegas. He also co-hosted several segments of the live television broadcast.

On November 23, 2008, Ace made an appearance as a bachelor on the VH1 show, Rock of Love: Charm School

Young recently made his Broadway debut as Kenickie in the revival of Grease from September 9, 2008 to January 4, 2009.[14]

Personal life

Young is currently based in Los Angeles, California. His hobbies include playing the piano, football, baseball, and basketball. During his time on American Idol, Young befriended Chris Daughtry, whom he met at the Denver audition for the show. The two lived in the same apartments during the show's runtime, and following Young's elimination, he stated that he would step in front of a moving train for Daughtry any time.[15] Fans of the pair have categorized them as "Chrisace" or "Chrace", while Young's fanbase became known as "Highrollers", a name based on a pun of the name "Ace".[16]

Since 1999, he has worked voluntarily in the Children's Hospital of Denver, entertaining hospital-bound patients every Christmas. Ace always talks about his love for children and his desire for his own children one day. He has two nephews, Carter and Keeghan, and three nieces, Josh's daughter (name unknown), Renee and Aspen. Young also has a charity that he started last year, called Highrollers with Heart.

Young dated Half & Half star Essence Atkins. Young also made a guest appearance on the television series.

Aside from Chris Daughtry, Young also has more American Idol friends; he befriended Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, Kevin Covais, Will Makar, Katharine McPhee, Mandisa, and Kellie Pickler from Season 5, and Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis from Season 6.

He is engaged to former Grease co-star, Allison Fischer.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Year Single Album US US Pop
2006 "Scattered" (single) - -
2008 "Addicted" Ace Young - 77

References

  1. ^ [1] "No one really sounds like me. I'm German-Irish but for some reason I have soul in me. I've always had it - ever since I was a kid. So I'm bringing my spirit and my heart because every song I sing, I'm telling a story."
  2. ^ Young, Ace (circa February 2006). "Ace Young Interview" (Windows Media Player). FOX Network. Retrieved 2006-06-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ [2]"Leaving aside the question of which team Ace plays on, there's also the question of which church he worships in, another minor obsession in cyperspace. Posting on aceyoung.net on March 3, someone named Connie assured a previous poster that Ace is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a.k.a. Mormons. She knows, she wrote, because "when he was little, he went to church where I went. He was quiet and well-behaved. But dad Jay says Ace is not a Mormon -- "He's a nondenominational Christian." He is also, says Jay, "a hard-working, aspiring artist and as nice a guy as you'll ever meet." In fact, "he was a Boy Scout," says Ace's maternal grandfather Mills Whitney, 87, of Newhall, Calif., a small town north of L.A.'s San Fernando Valley."
  4. ^ a b Groke, Nick (2006). "Crush playoff draws an Ace" (HTML). The Denver Post. Retrieved 2006-06-07. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ [3]"Do you have any formal singing training? Voice lessons".
  6. ^ Parker, Penny (2006-05-05). "Parker: Already basking in afterglow, Ace Young to meet John Elway" (HTML). Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2006-06-06. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  7. ^ The Little Vampire Soundtrack. October 17, 2000. New Line Records.
  8. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Tupac Shakur, Ace Young, Gary Glitter, Snoop Dogg, Lara Croft, Saves The Day & More" (HTML). MTV. 2006-03-16. Retrieved 2006-06-07. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ [4]
  10. ^ "'Idol' Finalists Get Record Contracts: Kat, Chris, Ace and Elliott's post-deals" (HTML). America Online. 2006-06-05. Retrieved 2006-06-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ [5]"Also included among the 50 hottest couples are Ace Young and Ryan Seacrest."
  12. ^ [6] 50th Annual Grammy Award Nominations. Grammy.com
  13. ^ American Idol News
  14. ^ GREASE to Close on Broadway January 4, 2009
  15. ^ [7]""And he and I really clicked," Ace continued. "We clicked from the beginning just because we kind of have the same upbringing. We’re big on family; we’re big on people. And he, just like me, can’t wait to get to the fan base. I mean, I can’t wait to shake hands with my fans and give them hugs and say thank you for getting me to number seven. But any day of the week I’d step in front of a moving train for that guy.""
  16. ^ [8]"Ace's High Rollers Place Their Money on Ace What would cause members of Ace Young's fan club to collect over $7,777 in his name to donate to Denver Children's Hospital? The Highrollers say they've been inspired by Ace's music as well as his generous spirit and have made it their goal to introduce the world to the music of Ace Young."

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