American Idol's Ace Young: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Achieving fame holds many possibilities, both good and bad. Some welcome the attention while others mourn the loss of anonymity. Once in a while, we hear about those who embrace fame to make a statement, but more important, we find those who use their fame for good. Brett “Ace” Young, a top-ten contestant on last year’s American Idol, comes clearly to mind as one who is using his fame to benefit society.

American Idol's Ace Young: More Than Just a Pretty Face

Ace became known on the show for his falsetto, his affable personality, and his all American good looks. Much more than “just a pretty face,” Ace has become quite adept at marketing himself, his music, and his pet charity, all of which are certainly worth a second look. Upbeat and moving forward with his future, Ace very candidly discussed with me some issues close to his heart.

Ace is directly involved in supporting the Children’s Hospital of Denver. Children’s Hospital is well known for the specialists that practice at that facility, who focus on everything from heart surgeries to cancer treatments. Children from all over the country go to this hospital for treatment “because they have to go see the best so that they have the best fighting chance,” reveals Ace. As a result, the children’s parents are often left in a strange town, worrying about how to best be there for their children and find a comfortable place to sleep for the night or, in many instance, for several nights. Ace has made it his mission to see that these parents have one less worry. With the help of his fans, “Ace’s High Rollers,” Ace seeks to raise funds to build a family amenities area that will annex the hospital and explains the purpose behind this facility. “It’s an area for the parents to sleep, to get cleaned up, to stay at the hospital so that you’re not trying to sleep on some horrible, hard seat, sitting next to the bed, looking at your child trying to get better.” Ace recently completed his ninth Christmas visit to Children’s Hospital.

Ace became involved with this charity because of a tragic accident. “My brother Ryan broke his back nine years ago. We just actually came up on the ten-year anniversary. And he was the one that started it with me going and visiting because we wanted to give back. He got a second chance at life.” Ace describes Ryan’s post-accident surgery as “putting Humpty Dumpty back together again,” and the doctors at Children’s Hospital miraculously returned Ryan to health. At that time, Ace and Ryan pledged their support to this cause and have been working toward providing comfort and care to the many children housed at this facility. “For the last eight years I’ve visited Children’s Hospital in Denver. I do it–I used to go two or three times a week, and I would just go and sing whatever the kids wanted to hear. I sang so many N’Sync and Backstreet Boys songs it was ridiculous, and it didn’t matter. When you’re done and you leave, you feel selfish because you got to hang out with them. [T]hese kids are all grown up. I mean, they’re six years old and they know the secrets of life, the meaning of life, and that is to live it. To live it with your family and friends, and that’s all that matters. All the stuff that you can purchase and keep and hoard to yourself is meaningless, and they know that.”

During his run on American Idol, Ace challenged his fans, who wanted to help with this charity, with the goal of raising $1,000. “I’d just gotten off the show and found out they raised twelve grand, and I got back to Denver and I was able to donate that. So, I had all the kids that could come down come down. I talked to them and we sang songs that I did on the show. I told them all the backstage stories about the three judges.” The benefits that Ace receives from donating his time and fame to this cause are many; however, one thing really stuck with Ace: “These kids are teaching me how we should all be living; they approach each day as if it is their last and strive to get the most from each day possible.” Ace could not have said this better. None of us are on the earth for an unlimited amount of time; yet, most fail to realize the importance of making the most of each day. Ace and the children to whom he ministers should make us think of and be grateful for all we have. Ace loves singing and enjoys sharing his gift and his gifts of time and service with these children and their families. In fact, his time at Children’s Hospital during the holiday season has become the most important part of the holidays for Ace. “I go every Christmas. I don’t even do presents with my family because I came home one time about four years ago, and we still had the presents under the tree, and I didn’t want to open them. I felt totally fulfilled, and I didn’t want to open a present that was a physical thing that I didn’t need and something that, maybe, I would like. It’s just like, if I need something, I’ll tell you and we’ll try to figure out how to get it, and that’s how my family’s always been with five kids and just trying to live and pay the bills. That’s how it always is. So, my fans, Ace’s High Rollers, and my family and myself put together a charity. It’s called High Rollers with Heart. You can go to highrollerswithheart.org.”

Aside from his big heart, Ace Young is quite an accomplished songwriter. He has been writing music since he was nine years old and plays piano. Ace recently co-wrote “It’s Not Over,” which is the first single release from Ace’s former Idol competitor Chris Daughtry’s debut CD. Ace has since written and independently released his own first single, “Scattered.” Having accomplished many of his musical goals, Ace hopes to someday pursue acting. “I have a lot more to do as far as getting prepared for acting. I know that. Musically, I’m ready. I’m ready to celebrate. I’m ready to perform. I’m ready to hold a venue and celebrate with the fans and show them all of the little parts of me they don’t know, which there’s a lot!” And Ace apparently has lots of fans. At last count, his “friends” total at My Space is in excess of 36,000. For those who don’t yet know who Ace Young is from a musical perspective, he shared with me that he is an R&B man who enjoys infusing that sound with rock, with influences from everyone from Jackie Wilson to Mel Torme. “I have R&B in me. I don’t know how it came out of me in Colorado, but the first album I ever bought with my dad was Jackie Wilson.  My dad took me to the CD store—I was 7 years old—and he said, ‘Go pick whatever you want’ because you could listen to them. I was listening to them, listening to them, and listening to them, and I came back with Jackie Wilson’s greatest hits. And he goes, ‘Okay. Why’d you pick that?’ I said, ‘Because I feel it.’”

Feelings are vital to a songwriter’s art, and Ace definitely feels his music. While having talented songwriters around to entertain is good, it’s really the feelings behind those words that matter. In the case of Ace Young, those feelings lead him to empathize with the pain and needs of others. Because of an accident that occurred ten years ago that held the potential to be life altering and permanently tragic, Ace personally came to understand the plight of ill or injured children and the pain that parents endure from helplessly watching their children suffer. To make matters worse, when these already distraught parents are sometimes forced to take their children many miles from home for treatment, the entire family learns the pain of separation, the fear of the unknown, and the loneliness of a strange place. Ace wants to alleviate some of that suffering with the lofty goal of raising $1.5 million to add a family amenities area to Children’s Hospital in Denver where parents can comfortably stay near their children while they undergo the healing process. To date the project has raised just shy of $70,000. We have a long way to go to help Ace reach this goal that will ultimately make life a bit easier for sick or injured children and their parents. Go to www.highrollerswithheart.org to donate to this incredible undertaking. This is just the type of project worthy of everyone’s attention and generosity. In a world where it sometimes seems that no one cares, donating to the Children’s Hospital of Denver’s family amenities area can demonstrate that some of us still do.

Shirley has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with an emphasis on Creative Writing, from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Phoenix.