Ace Young

Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American male singer and was the 7th-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol.

American Idol

Ace is originally from Boulder, Colorado and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Ace lived in the same Boulder neighborhood as Jessica Biel, and American Idol (Season 2) contestant, Samantha Cohen. He auditioned for American Idol in Denver. He was one of the 24 to make it to the semifinals. On March 9, 2006, he made it into the top 12 of American Idol. On the March 15, 2006 results show, he was placed in the bottom 3 along with Melissa McGhee and Lisa Tucker, but was not eliminated. On March 29, 2006, he was placed in the bottom 3 a second time with Katharine McPhee and Lisa Tucker, and was not eliminated. The following week on April 12, 2006 marked the third time he was ranked in the bottom 3, with Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington. Bucky was eliminated and Ace advanced to the final 7. On April 19, 2006, he was placed in the bottom 3 for the fourth time and was eliminated.

A montage shown on the April 11 show revealed a clip of Queen guitarist Brian May condescending Ace, though two days later May claimed on his blog that he was misrepresented by the producers of the reality television series.^[1]

Personal life

He was named after his great-grandfather, Asa, and has always been called Ace. Before American Idol he has always been performing and writing songs. In 1999 he performed at the Miss Colorado and Miss America beauty pageants as the guest performer.^[2] Ace plays piano, writes music, acts and dances. He is credited for writing music for Chicago rapper Slush Tha Villain. In 2005, he has guest-starred in an episode of Half and Half ("The Big Off Pitch Episode"), in which he played a baseball player who embarks on a music career. When it is found out that the pro-athlete is musically gifted, a fight erupts between the two half-sisters who both want to sign him. The episode was aired on October 24 2005 and reaired on April 3 2006. Ace was credited as Ace Blackwell.^[3]

Ace has been singing since he was nine years old. He plays football, baseball, basketball, and runs track. He is the youngest of five children and has four older brothers. Ace is of German and Irish descent. Ace is 6'1" (185 cm). He has done philanthropic work in children's hospitals singing to hospital-bound patients during the holidays.

File:Ai4-20060310084137.jpg

Chris Daughtry (left) and Ace Young (right) at the American Idol Top 12 Launch Party.

American Idol Performances

Semi-Finals

Week 1 February 22, 2006: (Male) "Father Figure" by George Michael
- Simon Cowell said that Ace had the "X-Factor" after this performance.
Week 2 March 1, 2006: (Male) "If You're Not The One" by Daniel Bedingfield
- He received mixed reviews for this performance.
Week 3 March 8, 2006: (Male) "Butterflies" by Michael Jackson
- The judges loved this performance.

Finals

Week 1 March 14, 2006: (Songs by Stevie Wonder) "Do I Do" (Bottom 3) - was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with Lisa Tucker and Melissa McGhee, but was voted safe.
- He received mixed reviews for this performance.
Week 2 March 21, 2006: (Songs from the 1950s) "In The Still Of The Night" by The Five Satins
- Paula and Randy loved the performance, but Simon disagreed.
Week 3 March 28, 2006: (Songs from the 2000s) "Drops of Jupiter" by Train (Bottom 3) - was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with Katharine McPhee and Lisa Tucker
- Randy said it was the wrong song choice for him and he sang it badly. Paula was also disappointed with the song choice but said he sang well, nonetheless. She pointed out Ace's scar. He said it got it from playing basketball when he tripped and fell in a tee. Simon said the performance was not a great vocal and "quite karaoke," and was not impressed.
Week 4 April 4, 2006: (Country music) "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban
- He received mixed reviews for this performance. Paula said the song was perfect for his range and he sang an adequate rendition of a contemporary country music hit.
Week 5 April 11, 2006: (Songs by Queen) "We Will Rock You" (Bottom 3) - was one of the bottom 3 contestants, along with Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington
- He also received mixed reviews. Paula liked the performance , though she mentioned it was a bit pitchy at bits, Randy thought it was OK, and Simon didn't like it, "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."
Week 6 April 18, 2006: (Songs from The Great American Songbook) "That's All" by Bobby Darin (Bottom 3, eliminated)
- Randy commented that Ace stumbled in the middle, but did well overall. Paula commented how much she liked the "new Ace" and called it "a magical night." Simon said "it wasn't bad," but while he said the middle was a bit nasally, he called the performance "charming." The following night he was placed in the "bottom three" with Chris Daughtry and he was eliminated.