Ace Young

Brett "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor.

He gained national recognition while appearing on the fifth season of American Idol.

Young is married to American Idol season-three runner-up Diana DeGarmo.

Young was raised in Boulder, Colorado and is the youngest of five boys.

He began writing songs, singing, and taking voice lessons at age 9, and was soon performing at recreation centers and shopping malls.

He was first paid for his talent at 11 years old, when he sang at the food court at Boulder’s Crossroads Mall.

He performed at various venues in Colorado and other western states, including singing the National Anthem at The Pepsi Center in Denver.

Young attended Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado.

An Eagle Scout, he also participated in athletics, choir, and International Baccalaureate classes, graduating in 1999.

After Young graduated from high school he wrote a song called "Reason I Live" that was featured on the soundtrack of the 2000 film The Little Vampire.

In 2001, Young moved to Los Angeles, California to continue pursuing his music career.

He ultimately met Brian McKnight and was given the chance to open for McKnight and New Edition.

Just before auditioning for American Idol, he landed a guest-starring role in an episode of Half & Half, playing a character named Ace Blackwell.

After over four years in Los Angeles without a record deal, Young auditioned for American Idol in Denver, Colorado.

His televised audition featured him singing Westlife's "Swear it Again."

Young was introduced as Brett Young, with the name "Ace" marked in quotations.

Later, he told producers he preferred to be called Ace and he was not referred to as Brett on the show again.

Young made it through Hollywood week and sang George Michael's song, "Father Figure" for his live Top 24 performance.

He also performed Michael Jackson's song, "Butterflies."

The week that featured the music of Queen and the surviving members of the band as mentors, there was a brief controversy.

American Idol ' s editing of Young's pre-performance package made it appear as if he had offended Brian May and the rest of the band by suggesting a change in the arrangement of "We Will Rock You."

May came to Young's defense a few days later when he wrote a blog clarifying he and the band felt their mentoring session was a productive exchange of ideas for the arrangement of the song.

The week Young was eliminated the theme was "Songs from the Great American Songbook," with Rod Stewart as mentor.

Young sang "That's All."

He changed his look for this performance, slicking his hair back and dressing up in a suit and tie.

He received mixed reviews from the judges and was joined by Chris Daughtry and Paris Bennett in the bottom 3.

After his elimination, Young was a guest and performed on MTV's Total Request Live. He was the first Idol contestant to be on MTV directly after elimination.

Young also returned home to perform at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

He was named one of People Magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" on June 16, 2006.

He spent the summer of 2006 on the annual American Idol Top 10 tour, after which he released his first single, "Scattered," (co-written with Elvio Fernandes) as a digital download on iTunes.

The song reached the Top 50 on the Hot Adult Contemporary sales chart.

He also put together a band and started playing gigs around the country.

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

He also formed a charity called "Highrollers With Heart" that raised $300,000 to help Children's Hospital in Denver build the Family Hospitality Suite.

Young wrote the chorus for Daughtry's debut single, "It's Not Over."

The song was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards nominations on December 6, 2007.

Along with co-writers, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson, and Chris Daughtry, Young received a songwriting nomination.

He appeared on the show every year from 2007 until 2012.

In January 2008, Young was named a Celebrity Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

In 2011 he hosted the New York MDA telethon.