AMAZING

It's hard for pop vocalist Alex Young to remember a time when music wasn't a central part of her life. "There was always music playing in my house, often from different rooms at the same time, so I've had a lot of access to a wide array of genres like jazz standards, classical and bossa nova," recalls the singer. As a child on trips to New York, you could frequently find Young wandering around Carnegie Hall enthralled by the cacophony of myriad instruments all warming up at once. "I knew what I always wanted to do,??? says Young. "I remember telling my parents when I was little, "I???m gonna be a singer." Alex Young has channeled her musical passion into Amazing, her debut album. While most 13-year olds have no plan for their later years, Young was already starting a bourgeoning career in music. On 9/11, Young's dad barely escaped his World Trade Center office before the destruction of the Twin Towers. The event was an emotional one for Young, who promptly recorded "Heart of America" as a tribute to the police and firefighters who sacrificed their lives that day. The song was Young's first time in a recording studio, although as a young cast member for two seasons of Sesame Street, she was no stranger to the stage. The song was so well received it was featured on New York's Z100 radio. Now 20, Young's passion for music has only increased since her auspicious debut. The result is Amazing, an amalgam of pop, R&B, funk and dance. With the help of Philip "Taj" Jackson (Rihanna, Janet Jackson), a two-time Grammy nominee and winner of the 2008 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award and Michelle "Bizzy" Bell, whose credits include Miley Cyrus, Nelly Furtado, Mary J. Blige, and Britney Spears, Young's vocal talents and prolific nature were brought to the forefront. The team of producers that have worked with Young reads like a who???s who of music industry leaders. The album, Amazing also features the contributions of Cuttfather (Ace of Base, Santana), Deantoni Parks (Me'Shell Ndegeocello), Jonas Jeberg (Pussycat Dolls, Kylie Minogue), and Mysto & Pizzi (R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake).