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Ace Young

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Template:Infobox soloBrett Asa "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American pop rock/rhythm and blues singer-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 life

Young, who is of German and Irish descent,[1] was born and raised in Denver, Colorado,[2] growing up in the same Boulder neighborhood as actress Jessica Biel and American Idol Season 2 contestant Samantha Cohen. 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 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 sung the national anthem at Denver Nuggets games. His first published song, "Reason I Live" was featured in the 2000 film The Little Vampire.[7]

Career

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] Young auditioned for American Idol in Denver, wearing a tuque beanie and singing a rendition of Westlife's "Swear It Again". 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".

Young was one of 24 contestants to make it to the semi-finals. His first performance, using a falsetto, was a rendition of the song "Butterflies". On March 9, 2006, Young made it into the top twelve of American Idol. On the March 15, 2006 results show, he was placed in the bottom three (along with Melissa McGhee and Lisa Tucker) and on March 29, 2006, he again appeared in the bottom three (along with Katharine McPhee and Lisa Tucker), but was not eliminated either time. On April 12, 2006, Young was ranked in the bottom three for the third time, with Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington. Covington was eliminated, while Young advanced to the final seven. On April 19, 2006, he was placed in the bottom three (alongside Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett) for the fourth time and was eliminated.

On April 26, Young performed as a guest on Total Request Live, singing an original song called "Don't Go" a cappella; the song will be included in his upcoming album. 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.

Although Young is currently unsigned to a record label, he has been in talks with RCA Records.[9] He was named one of People Magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" on June 16, 2006.[10]

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.[11] Fans of the pair have categorized them as "Chrisace" or "Chrace", while Young became known as "High Rollers", a name based off a pun of the name "Ace".[12]

Young frequently uses the Internet and says he is "always using the search engines- Google or Yahoo!" and also iTunes.[13][14][15] Since 1999, he has worked voluntarily in the Children's Hospital of Denver, entertaining hospital-bound patients every Christmas.

American Idol performances

Original airdate (2006) Theme Song Original artist
Semifinals
February 22 Top 24 "Father Figure" George Michael
The judges enjoyed thiss performance. Cowell said that he Young shown himself the "X-Factor", a reference to Cowell's autobiography, I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But…. Young later recorded a studio version of this track for American Idol Season 5: Encores.
March 1 Top 20 "If You're Not The One" Daniel Bedingfield
Young received mixed reviews for this performance.
March 8 Top 16 "Butterflies" Michael Jackson
The judges enjoyed Young's rendition.
Finals
March 14 Stevie Wonder "Do I Do" Stevie Wonder
Young received mixed reviews for this performance. The following night, he was was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with Tucker and McGhee, but was voted safe.
March 21 1950s "In The Still Of The Night" The Five Satins
The judges enjoyed this performance: Jackson loved it, Abdul said it was the sexiest performance he has done all season, and Cowell said it was one of his strongest performances.
March 28 2000s "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" Train

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end Jackson said it was the wrong song choice for him and he sang it badly. Abdul was also disappointed with the song choice but said Young sang well, nonetheless. She pointed out Young's scar, which he had motioned to during his performance. Young explained it was from playing basketball when he tripped and fell on a bar that was supposed to hold a tree up, the bar bent down with him and narrowly missed his larynx. Cowell said the performance was not a great vocal and "quite karaoke," and was not impressed. Young was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with McPhee and Tucker.

April 4 Country "Tonight I Wanna Cry" Keith Urban
Young received mixed reviews for this performance. Jackson thought it was boring, while 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.
April 11 Queen "We Will Rock You" Queen
Young also received mixed reviews. Abdul liked the performance, though she mentioned it was a bit pitchy at times, Jackson thought it was okay, and Cowell did not enjoy it, stating, "I think it was a complete and utter mess. It didn't work—it was all over the place. You were forgetting your words. I mean, it was 'We Will Rock You Gently'. I really, really, really hated that." Young was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with Yamin and Covington.
April 18 The Great American Songbook "That's All" Various Artists
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.

References

  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 parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ [1]"FAITH FACTS 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 parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ [2]"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 parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (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 parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ "'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 parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ [3]"Also included among the 50 bachelors are Ace Young and Ryan Seacrest."
  11. ^ [4]""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.""
  12. ^ [5]"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 High Rollers 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."
  13. ^ Kennedy, Lesley (April 17, 2006). "Outta site! Where local stars hang out on the Web" (HTML). Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2006-06-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ Krogmann, Michael (January 18, 2006). "Denver Auditions" (HTML). FOX Network. Retrieved 2006-06-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Young, Ace (1999-present). "Ace Music" (HTML). Self-Sponsored. Retrieved 2006-06-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help)

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