Avery Wilson (born July 18, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Wilson gained notice in 2012 as a contestant on season 3 of The Voice.[1] Since then, he has been making duets with his fans on Smule Sing! as @AveryWilson. Prior to The Voice, Wilson had regional hit songs played in rotation in the Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts markets.[2] In 2015 he released "If I Have To", the first single from his debut album which he also performed as a non-competitor on season 8 of The Voice.[3]
Avery Wilson | |
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| Birth name | Branden Avery Wilson |
| Born | July 18, 1995 Hamden, Connecticut |
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| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | RCA Records |
| Website | www |
Early life and education
editWilson never saw himself as a singer until his father overheard him singing and recognized the talent.[4] His father began holding open mic nights at one of the 14 area McDonald's that he oversaw as the director of operations.[2] The open mic nights were to help the local community have a safe place to have fun and also showcase his son's talent.[2] Wilson was 9 years old at the time and still returns to the location to help with the event.[2]
Wilson was raised in Hamden, Connecticut, where he attended Hamden Middle School. He attended Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School located in New Haven, Connecticut.[5]
Career
editOne of Wilson's first singles, Ringtone, was a demo that was sent to radio station WYBC-FM in New Haven, CT. The demo was sent in by his father and it received airplay, becoming a hit in the regional market of Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.[2] Wilson was first discovered by Sean Garrett who began working with him.[6] He entered the Next Teen Superstar competition in New York in 2011 and was the co-winner of the competition.[7] In 2012 he self-released On Top of the World.[8]
Wilson appeared on season 3 of The Voice when he was 16 years old. He performed on team Cee Lo Green and made it to the knockouts.[9] Wilson was a favorite to win the competition but was eliminated on October 29, 2012, after his performance of Yeah 3x.[10] His elimination was called a major upset by numerous publications and he later signed with Clive Davis and RCA Records.[11] He returned to The Voice Season 8 in 2015 to sing If I Have To, the first single from his debut album.[3] Wilson later announced that he would perform at the BET Awards in 2015 on June 28, 2015.[12]
On October 29, 2018, Avery released his new 5-song project called FYI onto mainstream.[13] The song "Dollar Bill" was released as his first single.[14] The song expressed the meaning of "not putting up with bullshit." He released his second single, "Wass the Move" with had a hip-hop feel to it. Avery's other three tracks included "Do For You", "Use 2", and "Touch Down".
In 2019, Avery released a 4-song project called 8:34.[15][16]
In 2024, Avery became a cast member of the Broadway show 'The Wiz" as the Scarecrow.[17][18]
Personal life
editWilson came out as bisexual in a tweet on his 25th birthday on July 18, 2020.[19]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| On Top of the World[20] |
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Extended plays
edit| Title | Extended play details |
|---|---|
| FYI[21] |
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| 8:34[22] |
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Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [23] |
US AC [24] |
US AR&B [25] | |||
| "If I Have To" | 2015 | 18 | 21 | 24 | Non-album singles |
| "Change My Mind"[26] (featuring Migos) |
— | — | — | ||
| "Song for You"[27] | 2017 | — | — | — | |
| "Callin'"[28] | 2019 | — | — | — | 8:34 |
| "Smoke"[29] | 2020 | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "What I Like"[30] (with Kenyon Dixon) |
— | — | — | ||
| "Kiss the Sky"[31] | 2024 | — | — | 16 | |
References
edit- ^ Ivory (June 24, 2019). "Avery Wilson Is All Grown Up On His New EP '8:34'". SoulBounce. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Bellmore, Michael (October 17, 2012). "'The Voice' contestant Avery Wilson performs at Hamden McDonald's". New Haven Register. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Ball, Caila (May 6, 2015). "'The Voice': Avery Wilson Debuts "If I Have To"". Idolator. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Ball, Caila (September 18, 2012). "'The Voice': Avery Wilson, 16, Blows The Coaches Away". Idolator. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Ramunni, Kathleen (October 18, 2012). "Avery Wilson Brings 'The Voice' To Hamden". Hamden Patch. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Davis, Rea Melissa (November 13, 2014). "VOCALS! Meet Avery Wilson". All Hip Hop. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ "Local Artists Yung Blayze & Avery Wilson Wins "Next Teen Superstar" Competition". Anonymously Gifted. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ "Avery Wilson Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "Avery Wilson — 'The Voice' Loser Is Winning With "If I Have To"". 2paragraphs. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Hopper, Jessica (October 30, 2012). "Team Cee Lo's Star Gets Knocked Out on 'The Voice'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Molinari, Jessica (May 5, 2015). "Avery Wilson Impressed With His New Single On 'The Voice' Top 6 Results & Totally Would've Beat the Other Past Contestants". Bustle. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ Avery Wilson [@imaverywilson] (June 14, 2015). "I'm Performing at The #BETAwards This Year ! 🙌🏽 #GreatfulToGod" (Tweet). Retrieved June 24, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ^ Folk, Antwane (October 29, 2018). "Listen to Avery Wilson's New EP 'FYI'". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Randall, Devin (July 19, 2020). "Singer Avery Wilson: "I'm A Bi Man In Love With LOVE" • Instinct Magazine". Instinct Magazine. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Samuels, Keithan (June 26, 2019). "Avery Wilson Releases '8:34' EP". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Devin. "Stream Avery Wilson's '8:34' EP". Rap-Up. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "Cast & Creative". The Wiz. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ "Avery Wilson's vocal wizardry". Washington Post. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "I'm bisexual . Ok bye". July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via @AveryWilson on Twitter.
- ^ "On Top of the World". iTunes Store. August 14, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ^ "FYI – EP". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "8:34 – EP". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ "Change My Mind (feat. Migos) – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Song for You – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Callin' – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Smoke – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "What I Like – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Kiss The Sky – Single". Spotify. Retrieved June 30, 2024.