American Idol Top 24 Ava August: Mature teen singer does well, but Katy Perry wasn’t crazy about the song
The journey of 15 year old Ava August from Laguna Niguel, Calif. on American Idol has been increasingly improving as the competition goes on. She has a history of being the “youngest.” Ava was the youngest singer to ever audition for The Voice when she auditioned back in season 14 (watch her no turn audition HERE). And while she had an interesting voice then, she didn’t really know how to use it.
She is now the youngest contestant on this season of American Idol. She sang an original in her audition titled “Neighbor Boy” and it was good but didn’t necessarily strike me as finalist material. Her voice is a bit of an acquired taste. I liked her Hollywood Week performance of “We’re Going to Be Friends”, but it wasn’t until her duet with Hunter Metts last week of “Dancing On My Own” that I was wowed.
She took another risk in the Showcase round and performed another original titled “Ghost of You.” I actually liked the composition of the original from her audition a bit better than this one. However, her vocals here were stronger. She showcased a nice falsetto and her tone stood out. She’s beyond her years; a very mature singer. Ava showed here that she does have a little range. I think she has potential. But I wonder if she can continue to impress when performing covers, as her voice has a very particular sound to it. Will viewers become bored of her? I don’t know.
During her Final Judgment, judge Katy Perry told Ava that she knows that she wanted to show off something different, adding that it wasn’t her strongest and that it “wasn’t all the way there as a song.” Nevertheless, Ava is sent through to the Top 24. I agree with this decision. We need some solid songwriters with very distinct sounds in the Top 24.
There’s something slightly 60s/70s about Ava. Her quivery vibrato is interesting. She embraces that singer-songwriter sound and has found her vibe at a young age. Watch her cover of Coldplay’s “Yellow” HERE. Watch Ava’s longer version of “Neighbor Boy” HERE.
