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Avery Wilson

Avery Wilson
Birth nameBranden Avery Wilson
Born (1995-07-18) July 18, 1995 (age 29)
Hamden, Connecticut
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • dancer
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • Guitar
  • Piano
Years active2012–present
LabelsRCA Records
Websitewww.averywilson.com

Avery Wilson (born July 18, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. Wilson first gained notice as a contestant on season 3 of The Voice.[1] In 2015, he released "If I Have To", the first single from his debut album, which reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[2] He later starred in the 2024 Broadway production of The Wiz, which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for its accompanying soundtrack.[3]

Early life and education

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Wilson 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.[5] The open mic nights were to help the local community have a safe place to have fun and also showcase his son's talent.[5] Wilson was 9 years old at the time and still returns to the location to help with the event.[5]

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.[6]

Career

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One 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.[5] Wilson was first discovered by Sean Garrett who began working with him.[7] He entered the Next Teen Superstar competition in New York in 2011 and was the co-winner of the competition.[8] In 2012 he self-released On Top of the World.[9]

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.[10] Wilson was a favorite to win the competition but was eliminated on October 29, 2012, after his performance of Yeah 3x.[11] His elimination was called a major upset by numerous publications and he later signed with Clive Davis and RCA Records.[12] He returned to The Voice Season 8 in 2015 to sing If I Have To, the first single from his debut album.[2] Wilson later announced that he would perform at the BET Awards in 2015 on June 28, 2015.[13]

On October 29, 2018, Avery released his new 5-song project called FYI onto mainstream.[14] The song "Dollar Bill" was released as his first single.[15] 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.[16][17]

In 2024, Avery became a cast member of the Broadway show 'The Wiz" as the Scarecrow.[18][19]

Personal life

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Wilson came out as bisexual in a tweet on his 25th birthday on July 18, 2020.[20]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with selected details
Title Album details
On Top of the World[21]
  • Released: August 14, 2012
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Extended plays

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List of extended plays, with selected details
Title Extended play details
FYI[22]
  • Released: October 26, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
8:34[23]
  • Released: June 20, 2019
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
R&B
[24] 		US
AC
[25] 		US
AR&B
[26]
"If I Have To" 2015 18 21 24 Non-album singles
"Change My Mind"[27]
(featuring Migos) 		— — —
"Song for You"[28] 2017 — — —
"Callin'"[29] 2019 — — — 8:34
"Smoke"[30] 2020 — — — Non-album singles
"What I Like"[31]
(with Kenyon Dixon) 		— — —
"Kiss the Sky"[32] 2024 — — 16

References

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  1. ^ Ivory (June 24, 2019). "Avery Wilson Is All Grown Up On His New EP '8:34'". SoulBounce. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Ball, Caila (May 6, 2015). "'The Voice': Avery Wilson Debuts "If I Have To"". Idolator. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  3. ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  4. ^ Ball, Caila (September 18, 2012). "'The Voice': Avery Wilson, 16, Blows The Coaches Away". Idolator. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Bellmore, Michael (October 17, 2012). "'The Voice' contestant Avery Wilson performs at Hamden McDonald's". New Haven Register. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  6. ^ Ramunni, Kathleen (October 18, 2012). "Avery Wilson Brings 'The Voice' To Hamden". Hamden Patch. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  7. ^ Davis, Rea Melissa (November 13, 2014). "VOCALS! Meet Avery Wilson". All Hip Hop. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Avery Wilson Biography | Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com". www.broadway.com. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "Avery Wilson — 'The Voice' Loser Is Winning With "If I Have To"". 2paragraphs. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  11. ^ Hopper, Jessica (October 30, 2012). "Team Cee Lo's Star Gets Knocked Out on 'The Voice'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Avery Wilson [@imaverywilson] (June 14, 2015). "I'm Performing at The #BETAwards This Year ! 🙌🏽 #GreatfulToGod" (Tweet). Retrieved June 24, 2015 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Folk, Antwane (October 29, 2018). "Listen to Avery Wilson's New EP 'FYI'". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Samuels, Keithan (June 26, 2019). "Avery Wilson Releases '8:34' EP". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  17. ^ Devin. "Stream Avery Wilson's '8:34' EP". Rap-Up. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "Cast & Creative". The Wiz. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "Avery Wilson's vocal wizardry". Washington Post. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "I'm bisexual . Ok bye". July 18, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via @AveryWilson on Twitter.
  21. ^ "On Top of the World". iTunes Store. August 14, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  22. ^ "FYI – EP". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  23. ^ "8:34 – EP". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  25. ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  26. ^ "Avery Wilson – Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  27. ^ "Change My Mind (feat. Migos) – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  28. ^ "Song for You – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "Callin' – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  30. ^ "Smoke – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  31. ^ "What I Like – Single". Spotify. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  32. ^ "Kiss The Sky – Single". Spotify. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
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