Draft:AY Young

AY Young is an American pop artist, singer, rapper, actor, entrepreneur, and sustainability advocate. He was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. AY is also the founder of Battery Tour, a live music platform and company that creates, designs and executes clean energy concerts, activations and cultural sustainability experiences centered around music, culture and youth. The Battery Tour is known for using renewable energy, solar and battery systems to power concerts and performances globally.

In 2020, AY was also selected as one of the 17 United Nations Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals, the only one selected from the class of 2020 representing the United States of America.

Early Life and Education

Young was homeschooled during most of his youth before attending and graduating from Lincoln College Preparatory Academy class of 2009.

AY attended the University of Missouri in Kansas City where he played basketball for the school 2009-2010 season, then was transferred to Hesston College in Hesston, Kansas, where he studied Business and played basketball for the Hesston Larks 2010-2012.

Music and Live Performance

Before pursuing music professionally, AY wrote poetry and performed during his college years as primarily a rapper.

In 2012, AY Young alongside his brother AJ Young competed on the second season of "The X Factor" TV show. Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, LA Reid and Louis Walsh, replacing Simon Cowell for the episode, judged his audition. AY and his brother AJ received 4 "Yes" votes from the celebrity judges during the live TV audition round and advanced further in the competition.

Following the appearance, he continued to develop, write, and produce his own music independently, and transitioned from rapping to performing primarily as a pop artist. AY started performing his original music in public spaces around Kansas City. He began experimenting with portable solar and battery power sources so he could power concert gear and host his own live concerts and events to perform his original music. This was the start of what he called the Battery Tour.

AY founded the Battery Tour utilizing solar panels and battery systems to power his performances. Early shows took place in local areas such as the Country Club Plaza and Westport. The concerts were funded by audience donations and participation.

As the Battery Tour grew and expanded, AY began to align the platform with broader humanitarian initiatives including energy access for all, food, and water security. The platform evolved from local public performances into a global touring model.

Young has stated that the Battery Tour is the longest running clean energy concert tour globally, having completed over 960 concerts using clean energy, and is now working on a milestone 1,000 show he calls the "Road to 1000."

AY Young's music has also reached wide audiences through media placements; his song "AYO" was featured on the documentary series *Down to Earth with Zac Efron*. Other recent work released independently includes the EP *GOALS* and *Just Call Me AY*.

Young has been developing an album titled Project17, where he has created one song for each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainability and Advocacy

Between 2020 and 2023, the United Nations Young Leader for the Sustainable Development Goals named AY Young in recognition of his efforts to combine music and clean energy.

He was also named a Generation17 Young Leader. Generation17 is a joint partnership program between Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme that highlighted AY and other young leaders who were advocating for the 17 Global Goals.

In 2026, the city of Kansas City appointed Young as its first sustainability ambassador. In this role, he currently works with the city's Office of Environmental Quality on storytelling and community outreach campaigns designed to connect the city's climate and resiliency goals with youth and the general public.

Young continues to work at the intersection of youth, climate, sustainability, and culture.

News and Media

Many regional and national media outlets including The Kansas City Star, Apple News, TheGrio, and Startland News have profiled AY Young.

Independent and Media Sources The Kansas City Star** "He's powered concerts with batteries. Now rapper is powering KC's green movement" (https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article315661985.html)

Startland News "KC activist-turned-global performer readies for his 1,000th clean energy show" (https://www.startlandnews.com/2024/11/ay-young-battery-tour-2/)

TheGrio "Faces of Change: Recording artist AY Young's Battery Tour" (https://thegrio.com/2021/12/31/faces-of-change-ay-young-battery-tour/)

Yahoo "Faces of Change: Recording artist AY Young's Battery Tour" (https://www.yahoo.com/now/faces-change-recording-artist-ay-150000459.html)

KCUR Battery Tour coverage (http://www.kcur.org/post/battery-tour#stream/0)

Startland News AY Young / Battery Tour coverage (http://www.startlandnews.com/2018/05/ay-young-battery-tour/)

KC Studio "KC artist AY Young receives UN recognition" (https://kcstudio.org/arts-news-kc-artist-ay-young-receives-un-recognition/)

Official and Supporting Verification Sources United Nations AY Young profile (https://www.un.org/youthaffairs/en/ay-young)

Samsung Mobile Press "Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of AY Young" (https://www.samsungmobilepress.com/feature-stories/meet-the-generation17-young-leaders-the-story-of-ay-young)

Samsung Newsroom "Meet the Generation17 Young Leaders: The Story of AY Young" (https://news.samsung.com/us/meet-generation17-young-leaders-ay-young-story/)

Forbes — “This Musician Wants You To Power Your Next Road Trip With Solar Energy” https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordilippemcgraw/2024/09/17/this-musician-wants-you-to-power-your-next-road-trip-with-solar-energy/

Yahoo News — “AY Young hoping set world record” https://www.yahoo.com/news/ay-young-hoping-set-world-030909385.html