by Gina Scarpa

Fans of American Idol may remember a young, good looking contestant by the name of Ace Young from season 5.  He received positive feedback from the judges but was eliminated early on.  His journey didn’t end there, though.  Ace produced his own album, but unforeseen events prevented him from reaching the public and the fans the way he had hoped.  He went on to write with fellow idol contestant Chris Daughtry and is currently on tour with Idol winner Taylor Hicks in the musical, Grease.  When Grease stopped in my home state this week, I headed to check out the show and backstage to talk to Ace in an exclusive interview.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What happened after Idol, musically and career wise for you?
A. Ace: The funny thing is that right after I got out of Idol, I had a lot of opportunities to do Broadway.  I also had the opportunity to do a lot of soap operas but I didn’t want to jump into those things because I had just gotten known for music.  I put my focus on writing for myself and other artists.  I wrote like crazy.  I co-wrote Daughtry’s first single.  We went to the Grammys and lost to Bruce Springstein.  Not a bad way to go.  I created an album with a guy I looked up to for years, Desmond Child, who wrote for Aerosmith and Bon Jovi.  We split costs and right when I was getting ready to sign with EMI, we got bought out.  I had support if I went that way so I didn’t want to put any more money into it.  So I just uploaded the album onto ITunes and let the fans know that there was music there.  Billboard loved it and it was just nice to have it out but I didn’t push on it.  I did some radio shows, I did a lot of acting and tv. 
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you come to be part of Grease, first on Broadway, and now on tour?
A. Ace: When I got the call to do Grease, I said, “Well, I really don’t wanna be Danny Zucko because everyone knows that I’m a nice guy,” and they said, “They actually want you to be Kenicke,” and he’s my polar opposite.  I was like, “Of course!”  They gave me two weeks to learn the show and I’ve never done theater in my life.  I got great reviews for playing Kenicke.  In New York, in the cast, I met my fiancé.  We got engaged last June and we’re getting married next June.  She plays Patty Simcox, the cheerleader friend of Sandy.  I finally got out of Grease mode and we went back to L.A.  I was doing more production and producing for other artists that you’ll soon hear about and then I got a call saying, “We really want you to do the Grease tour as Danny Zucko and we want you to do the show with Taylor Hicks and we also want your fiancé to play Patty.  Are you interested?”  I was like, “Well we can travel together and I can share a stage with Taylor and I haven’t done that since the Idols tour.”  This was the first time we’d be back together.  I was ecstatic!
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Is life on tour with Grease similar to Idols?  Is it tiring?
A. Ace: It’s totally different but not tiring.  I’ve been on the road the last three years.  I’ve been in every big and small city across the country.  I actually know where I like to eat in these places.  I’m comfortable with cities that shut down at 10:00 and comfortable with cities that never sleep.  I like it.  It’s nice to have that constant change but have my fiancé with me and a lot of friends from the Broadway community. We’re a tight little family.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you get to meet your fans out on the road?
A. Ace: Fans are always welcome to come by and hang out outside the stage door.  They’re always welcome.  We have a lot of different radio things where fans get to come up on stage after the show.  I’m always down to meet fans and say hello.  In New York, it was different because there was only one door to leave.  You had to meet everybody or you’re a mean guy!  It’s nice to get this feedback, though.  It’s nice to see the instant reaction and response to what you’ve just done.
 
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What’s coming up for you in 2010, besides your wedding of course?
A. Ace: Yeah, I’m going to the Bahamas for 10 days after I get married.  Right when I get back, we’re going to go back to L.A.  My fiancé has been doing Broadway for 10 years.  She wants to put a little more effort into that.  I started a lot of businesses.  I have a lot of artists that I’m going to help mold and help them make amazing music.  It’s fun to be behind the camera as well so… shoot music videos, create new music, having my own creation company for cartoons and movie animations, and getting ready to put myself out there again as an artist.

To find out when Grease is coming to your state, visit GreaseOnBroadway.com. 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

For more American Idol links, visit SirLinksALot.net