American Idol Alum Ava August: The Next Stage in Her Career

Since discovering her love for music at the age of eight after singing the American national anthem for the first time at a local sporting event, Ava August has gone on to make her mark on the music industry. Ava auditioned for The Voice, a singing reality television show, when she was 12 years old, and then for American Idol at 15, becoming the youngest to ever compete in both shows. After American Idol, she released critically-acclaimed singles like “Move On,” “Miss You,” and “Beauty Queen.” She has sung at sold-out stadiums for professional sports teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers and Rams. This successful artist sat down with Tokyo Journal Editor-in-Chief Anthony Al-Jamie to discuss her experience in the music industry from a young age and her time on American Idol.

TJ: At what age did you get started in music?

AUGUST: I first started to make music and sing when I was around seven years old. It initially started with me singing the national anthem for different sporting events around my city and me wanting to be a performer. My love began with the vocals and singing. Every Tuesday night, we had an open mic night in my town, and I would always sing these karaoke tracks. It was fun and everything, but then I realized how it was kind of limiting to just sing with a karaoke track. Learning to play an instrument would be really beneficial for me when I sing live. So, I started to learn to play the piano at around nine years old. When I was younger, I went on a trip to Hawaii, and there was this beautiful ukulele shop. We walked into the ukulele shop, and I talked to the store owner. I told her I was a singer. I was 11 years old. She said, “Sing for me.” I was apprehensive, but then I [sang] “When I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars. After hearing me sing, she said, “Pick a ukulele. It’s yours.” And that was such a great memory. After that, I learned to play the acoustic guitar and then the electric guitar.

TJ: How would you describe your music style? How has it changed?

AUGUST: I would say my music style is acoustic pop. I love to bend the genre line. It could be pop-rock on a song or maybe folk-pop, but my music is definitely in the pop genre. I haven’t gone from being a country singer to a pop singer. I’ve always been a pop singer, but over time my songwriting has evolved. I think I’ve leaned into the songwriting side of me. I’m definitely telling stories in my music.

TJ: What was it like to be the youngest contestant on American Idol?

AUGUST: A casting agent and director actually reached out to me on American Idol. I questioned whether or not I wanted to do that since I was just recently on The Voice before and I had that whole experience. But I thought to myself, “It’s COVID, I’m just gonna do this.” It was the summer before I turned 15. I would say one of my favorite memories was singing my original song, “Ghost of You,” on the show. Being able to sing my original song with my guitar for all those judges was such a rewarding moment for me because I could showcase myself not only as an artist but as an artist who writes their own music.

TJ: You had previous experience on The Voice. What else did you learn on American Idol?

AUGUST: I learned over time to tune everything out that was going on around me and just focus on the song, find wherever the camera was on stage and sing into it. You have to realize when you’re on a show like that you should be mainly looking into the camera because your real audience is all the people at home and the millions of people that you have to convince to vote you into the next round. Learning to have that focus really helped me combat those nerves.

TJ: How do you see yourself now and for the rest of your career?

AUGUST: Right now, music is definitely my day one. It’s my first love. I adore it so much. It’s my number one priority to get my music out and keep making a name for myself in the industry. I’ve just recently started taking some acting lessons and doing a few auditions. So, you never know, you might see me on the big screen!

Follow Ava August: @avaaugust

The complete article can be found in Issue #282 of the Tokyo Journal.