Avalon Young is likely the first one named after a song.
Her first name comes from the song “Avalon,” a 1982 hit for Roxy Music.
She even has some of the lyrics — “Yes the picture is changing every moment / and your destination you don’t know it” — tattooed on her arm.
Of course, it was her voice that made the biggest impression on American Idol. She turned in one of the best vocals on the final night of the auditions when she covered Beyonce’s “XO.”
The 21-year-old from San Diego sailed into the Hollywood round by a 3-0 vote. Harry Connick Jr. called her performance “terrific” and complimented Avalon for having a very different voice.
In her pre-audition clip, Avalon talked about working as a server at a restaurant, Applebee’s judging from her Facebook page.
“It’s not ideal,” she said. “I’d rather be singing my butt off every day.”
To that end, she’s released a pair of EPs, the four-track “Drowning in You” in 2013 and the five-track “Redline” last year.
The latter was funded through a highly successful Indiegogo campaign and features a collaboration with former Idol finalist Andrew Garcia on a song called “Waiting.”
In a TV interview the day after her audition aired, Avalon admitted being more than a little nervous performing for Idol’s celebrity judges.
“As a performer, goign on stage where there are tons of people, that’s nerve-wracking,” she said. “But was was scarier being in front of those three people.”
She added that the portrayal of her as a tomboy was accurate.
“For me, it’s always about music rather than the look,” she said. “I know it all comes together in the music industry. But, for me, it’s about spreading good music and creating a fan base that’s like a family.”
You can follow Avalon through her Facebook page. On Twitter, she is @avaswaggg.
Here are a couple of examples of Avalon’s music. You can hear more on her YouTube channel.
“Bad News” — the single from her 2015 EP
“Waiting” with Andrew Garcia — from her 2015 EP
Explicit lyric warning
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