AY Young
AY Young (born March 29, 1991) is a producer, singer, rapper, songwriter, entertainer, and entrepreneur from Kansas City, Missouri.[1][2]
Contents
Early life and career
AY Young was educated at home by their mother, Yolanda Young, who is a Missouri state representative. He later attended Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in Kansas City and then the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After that, AY went to Hesston College in Hesston, where he was recruited to play a sport. Currently, AY is involved in managing a farm with his family.[3]
AY began writing poetry at the age of 14, which was a reaction to the disparity in Kansas City known as "The Troost divide".[4] As he grew older, AY became aware of the issue of lack of access to electricity and began to focus on sustainability.[5] He began powering his concerts using renewable energy and also raised awareness and funds to bring electricity to people in various countries.[1] This led to the creation of the Battery Tour, which has "plugged in" 17 countries to date.[6]
In 2012, AY appeared on The X Factor TV show and received four positive votes.[7][2] He then began performing his original music and building a following through street performances and collaborations with various artists such as Wiz Khalifa, Shaggy, T-Pain, Flo Rida, Aaron Carter, and others.[8][9][2]
The Battery Tour
The Battery Tour is the main initiative of AY, which aims to bring together various elements such as musical experience, community development, sustainability education, humanitarian aid, and international cooperation. The tour is a global movement that uses music to raise awareness about sustainability and clean energy solutions.[6] The concerts are powered by renewable energy stored in batteries, hence the name "Battery Tour."[6][10][11]
Project 17
AY has recently been appointed as a UN Young Leader for SDGs and has begun developing a new project called "Project 17", an album that aims to raise awareness about the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.[11] Each of the 17 songs will represent a different goal and will feature 17 prominent recording artists.[12] Companies such as Samsung,[13] Verizon, and Enel Green Power have already provided sponsorship for the project. "Project 17" will also have 17 Impact partners to execute legacy projects that align with the various SDGs.[14][1] The first official sponsor for the project is BNP Paribas, they joined on January 1st, 2023. Organizations such as National Wildlife foundation, Plastic pollution coalition, Oceanic Global, the Regeneration, and Simpliphi Power have already partnered with AY & Battery Tour. The release date for the album has yet to be announced.[9]
Tech N9ne and Dawn Richard have officially joined Project 17. Tech N9ne is known as the #1 Independent artist in the world, and is associated with Goal 1. Dawn Richard, formerly of the group Danity Kane, is associated with Goal 8.
AY Young, a musician and climate advocate, is participating in a road trip from the Detroit Auto Show to New York City in partnership with General Motors and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).[15] The trip is taking place prior to Climate Week and aims to raise awareness for the Climate Equity Collaborative, an initiative focused on addressing climate change and environmental injustice. The National Wildlife Federation serves as a convener for the initiative, working with other organizations from the non-profit, government, and private sectors.
Generation 17
AY Young is a member of Generation 17, a partnership between Samsung and the UNDP which aims to empower young individuals[11][1] who are working towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.[5][14]
Discography
| Song Name | Release Year | Album/EP |
| Stay Alive (feat. Paige Joyce) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Say Hey | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Wanna Be Loved (feat. Christian Robinson) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Titanic | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Do What We Do | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Little Bit Higher (feat. Chief WaKil) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| One Desire (feat. Christian Robinson) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Past Me (feat. S.H.A.D.O.W.) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| NeverLand | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| I Might Steal Yo Girl (feat. Eems) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Up Down | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Ready for a Change (feat. AJ Young) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Suicide Doors (Creep Intro) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Creep Creep (The Anthem) | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Battery Tour | 2016 | Above and Beyond |
| Save the Planet | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Hello Again | 2021 | Hello Again |
| For You | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Say Hey | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Keeping Score | 2021 | Hello Again |
| All of the Pain | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Creep Creep | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Better (WFF Anthem) | 2021 | Single |
| Sunday | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Chronicles of AY | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Hello Again | 2021 | Hello Again |
| One Desire | 2021 | Hello Again |
| Hello Again ll | 2022 | EP |
| Regeneration | 2022 | Single |
| Hey Mama | 2022 | Just Call Me AY |
| We Are All Human | 2022 | Single |
| Andale | 2022 | Just Call Me AY |
| Just Call Me AY | 2022 | EP |
| AYO | 2022 | Just Call Me AY |
| Text K | 2022 | Just Call Me AY |
| Body Type | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
| Chronicles of AY II: This Was It | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
| Virus | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
| Success Is A Funeral | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
| Ride The Wave | 2022 | Just Call Me AY |
| I Might Steal Yo Girl | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
| Snap Queen | 2022 | Hello Again II: The Plug |
Awards and Nominations
- Reached 13th Best of Urban Charts in 2015
- Reached Top 10 in Rap and Hip Hop 2015
- Reached Top in R&B March 2015
- Reached Top 10 Hip Hop December 2013
- AY is a Kauffman Fast Trac Tech Venture Program Graduate 2018
- Founder of Battery Tour
- Trained Climate Reality Leader 2019
- Eagle Boy Scout
- Facilitated partnerships with: Microsoft, Brooklyn Cloth, SELF
- United Nations recognized climate activist 2019
- AY is a recipient of the “Rocket Grant” for the project ‘Battery Tour’ 2019-2020
- AY is a recipient of the prestigious “Arts KC” grant for the Battery Tour 2017-2018
- Sponsored by United Nations (UNESCO) (January 2020)
- Selected as 1 of the 17 Young World Leaders by United Nations (2020-2022)
- Official American Music Apprenticeship Program Instructor (July 2020)
- AY played at Inauguration for Biden at the Clean Energy For Biden Inauguration Ball (1/20/21)
- AY was selected for the “Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat” 2021 Honoree (9/5/21)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Hear How Ay Young Is Changing The World With His Music" (in en). 2022-08-19. https://www.fintech.tv/News/Detail/6294-hear-how-ay-young-is-changing-the-world-with-his-music.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "AY Young" (in en-US). https://www.artskcgo.com/artist/ay-young/.
- ↑ "Young Family Farm". https://youngfamilyfarm.square.site/about.
- ↑ "2020 Young Leader for the SDGs". http://www.wydf.org.cn/en/SDG_Youth/Youth_Story/202206/t20220613_788049.htm.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Leaders | United Nations Development Programme" (in en). https://www.undp.org/generation17/leaders.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of AY Young" (in en). https://www.samsungmobilepress.com/feature-stories/meet-the-generation17-young-leaders-the-story-of-ay-young.
- ↑ "AY Young" (in en). https://www.gcsedrawdown2021.org/keynote-speakers/ay-young.
- ↑ "Musician and United Nations youth leader AY performs March 30 at MSU" (in en-US). http://www.montana.edu/news/21913/musician-and-united-nations-youth-leader-ay-performs-march-30-at-msu.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "AY Young" (in en-US). https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/ay-young/.
- ↑ "Trendy catches up with AY Young, the world’s first musical artist to power 100% of his performances with renewable energy" (in en-US). 2020-02-14. https://trendyafrica.com/trendy-catches-up-with-ay-young-the-worlds-first-musical-artist-to-power-100-of-his-performances-with-renewable-energy/.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "National Wildlife Federation Advances Equitable Climate Action through New Collaborative" (in en). https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2022/9-16-22-Climate-Week-Roap-Trip.
- ↑ "PROJECT17" (in en). https://www.aymusik.com/project17.
- ↑ "Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of AY Young" (in en-US). 2022-11-17. https://news.samsung.com/us/meet-generation17-young-leaders-ay-young-story/.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of AY Young" (in en). https://www.samsungmobilepress.com/feature-stories/meet-the-generation17-young-leaders-the-story-of-ay-young.
- ↑ "National Wildlife Federation Advances Equitable Climate Action through New Collaborative" (in en). https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2022/9-16-22-Climate-Week-Roap-Trip.
