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Brett Asa "Ace" Young (born November 15, 1980) is an American 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. The youngest of five brothers, Ace Young spent his formative years in Boulder, Colorado. As a child, he never gave much thought to pursuing a singing career. That all changed when Ace turned 11 years old and he discovered his natural gift for singing. Shortly after, Ace made his professional debut performing at malls and recreation centers, and it wasn't long before the budding star realized his calling. Ace, who is also passionate about sports and acting, eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a singer, where he was forced to take up a series of dull, low-paying jobs to support himself (he even sold photocopiers for a while). When the opportunity to audition for American Idol arose, Ace leapt at the chance to show off his talents and deftly earned his way to Hollywood with his stirring rendition of Westlife's "Swear It Again." Initially, Simon was not terribly impressed with Ace's abilities as a singer, but Ace slowly won him over with his interpretations of such classic songs as George Michael's "Father Figure" and Michael Jackson's "Butterflies."