Striding Towards Fame with American Idol's Ava August
Fresh off American Idol, Ava August has performed with Josh Groban on national television, has made fans of Gigi Hadid and Paula Abdul, and has been compared to a young Taylor Swift for her singer/songwriter abilities. But all of this sudden fame isn’t phasing the 15-year-old from Laguna Niguel who seems destined for a world-class career.
The Dana Hills High School freshman is staying level-headed, patiently calculating next steps, learning everything she can about an industry that has been known to steer many in the wrong direction if you’re not careful. And careful she’s being: her and her parents (a schoolteacher and a lawyer) are weighing their options, taking almost daily meetings and listening to what interested record labels (and even modeling agencies!) have to say about future opportunities for the budding star.
AVA AUGUST KNOWS SHE HAS A LONG CAREER AHEAD OF HER AND IS ENSURING SHE DOESN’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES THAT YOUNG STARS OFTEN FALL INTO: MISMANAGEMENT, PARTYING, BIG HEADS.
At Golden Hour in early May, just two weeks after returning home from her Idol experience in Los Angeles, Ava strides down Forest Avenue towards Main Beach for her Laguna Beach Living photoshoot. Locals turn their heads to stare as she walks by, sporting a white dress her mother had purchased for her earlier that day from Nordstrom Rack. She’s holding her white electric guitar across her chest with the same gusto as Freddie Mercury (one of her idols) taking the stage at Wembley Stadium (a long-term goal of hers). Her long sandy blonde hair bobs up and down and her chunky black Doc Marten boots — her staple on Idol — complete her edgy, hip, and young vibe.
SHE’S EXCITED. SHE’S HAPPY. AND SHE EXUDES STAR QUALITY.
Since coming back from Idol where she was under strict COVID protocol and quarantined from anyone outside the AI circle, she’s mostly been at home, catching up with family and schoolwork. But as she strolls through Laguna Beach on this particular day, she’s realizing for the first time just how much of an impact being on one of America’s most loved television shows has had.
She gets stopped multiple times by people congratulating her for making the Top 10, complete with a few passing cars slowing down to yell out a quick hello.
EVERY TIME, WITHOUT FAIL, SHE STOPS IN HER TRACKS AND GIVES A BIG AND APPRECIATIVE GRIN, RESPONDING IN THE MOST GENUINE WAY: “AHHH, THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
Just as she appeared on the show, Ava is well-spoken, humble, and savoring every moment.
While American Idol boosted her to a new level, she’s not exactly new to the spotlight (albeit the last couple months have definitely been on another level than anything she’s experienced before). She’s been singing since she was 8, has sang the National Anthem for both the Anaheim Angels and the LA Kings, and, at just 13, was the youngest contestant who ever made it to the “Blind Audition” round on NBC’s The Voice.
The goal has always been to be a singer/songwriter and since picking up the ukulele when she was 10, the piano at 11, and the acoustic guitar at 12, she’s concentrated on writing her own songs — even learning the production side.
CURRENTLY SHE HAS 3 SONGS ON SPOTIFY — ALL THAT SHE’S PRODUCED ON HER OWN, IN HER BEDROOM AT HOME.
During her stint on Idol her fellow Gen-Z crowd fell in love with her right from the start. In her San Diego audition she sang an original song, “Neighbor Boy,” about a forbidden crush, and later in the show cemented her status as their new teen queen by performing TikTok’s most popular song of the moment, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” (which the judges had a field day over as she hasn’t yet gotten hers)!
But it wasn’t just her own age group that she captivated — fans of all ages were intrigued by her energy, youthfulness, and the way she can capture a crowd with her “old soul” voice (an early feedback from Katy Perry that seemed to stick throughout the remainder of her time on the show).
After making it through to “Hollywood Week” she spent five weeks in LA filming, her parents taking turns staying with her. In her free time she would practice in her hotel room and make songs with fellow contestants including one called “Basement” that she wrote with fellow Top 10-er Hunter Metts, which the duo plans to finish in Nashville together this summer.
Her time on Idol was an eye-opening experience into the world of entertainment, teaching her the art of being flexible and going with the flow (example: during her “Love of My Life” Queen performance she was supposed to play the piano, but when the crew didn’t have enough time to set it up during the commercial break she had to improvise and instead relied solely on her classic voice for a show-stopping performance).
On live television or behind-the-scenes, Ava has become a seasoned pro at rolling with life’s punches and knows that the only thing that can stop you is yourself… so you have to just keep getting up.
Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 4, Ava hopes to use her platform to raise awareness about the chronic disease and to show that living with Type 1 doesn’t have to prevent you from following your dreams.
Which she’s doing every day.
The future is just beginning for Ava August… and we can already feel the excitement.
Lindsay DeLong is the Editor-in-Chief of Laguna Beach Living. A brand strategist and web designer who specializes in a quick 2-week start-to-finish process, she is well-versed at building brands from the ground up, establishing online identity, and can’t wait to attend Ava’s sold-out concert at Wembley Stadium someday. Reach out to her at lindsay@lagunabeachliving.com or on her personal site, iLikeLindsay.com.
Photos by: Tiffany Perry Photography.