Ayla Marie Brown (born July 28, 1988) is an American singer and former NCAA basketball player from Wrentham, Massachusetts. In 2006, she was a contestant on fifth season of American Idol, finishing within the top 16. Shortly after the season's conclusion, Brown attended Boston College on a full basketball scholarship, and graduated in 2010.
Brown is the elder daughter of former United States Senator of Massachusetts and United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Scott Brown, and NH1 News reporter Gail Huff.Ayla, Arianna Brown endure awkward moment at Scott Brown's Senate victory speech in Massachusetts NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved on January 20, 2010 She is the sixth leading scorer in Massachusetts basketball history, male or female, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, and was named the top female basketball player in Massachusetts.Brown is quick to join 2,000-point club in Nobles's victory BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2007Ayla Brown – Biography AylaBrown.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 Brown has released two full-length studio albums, is a spokesperson for the Songs of Love Foundation, and currently serves as the official anthem singer of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Early life
Brown finished her high school career as one of the top female basketball players in Massachusetts history, scoring 2,358 career points. This made her the sixth place all-time leading scorer in Massachusetts basketball history, male or female. In addition, she is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and was named the top female basketball player in Massachusetts. Brown finished her senior season as the captain of the Noble and Greenough School girls' basketball team, missing her last few games to compete on the fifth season of American Idol.Brown moves ahead TheSunChronicle.com. Retrieved on September 16, 2007.
Brown was scouted by the staff at Boston College beginning at the age of 15. She made a commitment to the school, and went on to attend the college on a full athletic scholarship, majoring in communications. She played the forward position for the Boston College Lady Eagles, wearing jersey number 1. Brown's nickname given to her by her teammates was "Downtown Ayla Brown" due to her ability to sink 3-pointers and lengthy shots.Ayla Brown Dishes on Her Self-Titled Album and Why Josh Turner Is Afraid of Her TasteofCountry.com. Retrieved on July 16, 2012.
American Idol (2006) Brown auditioned for American Idol at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2005 before advancing to the judges' round in Boston. She was eliminated from the show on March 9, 2006.
For her audition song, Brown sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Randy Jackson said she had a good, though undistinguished voice. Paula Abdul also thought Brown was a good singer, but that she favored vocal power over dynamics. Simon Cowell accused Brown of being "robotic and somewhat empty." In the end, Jackson and Abdul (who made the final judgment) sent Brown through to the Hollywood rounds.
During the Hollywood rounds, Brown sang "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera, and was selected as one of 24 semi-finalists.
Performances WeekThemeSong SungArtistOrder SungStatusTop 24 (12 Women)Contestant's Choice"Reflection"Christina Aguilera4AdvancedTop 20 (10 Women)Contestant's Choice"I Want You to Need Me"Celine Dion6AdvancedTop 16 (8 Women)Contestant's Choice"Unwritten"Natasha Bedingfield6Eliminated
Boston College Eagles (2006-2010)
Brown's career with the Boston College Lady Eagles began in the 2006–07 season, her freshman year. During the season the 6' 0" forwardPlayer Bio – Ayla Brown BCEagles.CSTV.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. averaged 8.2 points per game, the second-highest average on the team.Boston Coll. Eagles Stats Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on September 16, 2007. The Eagles finished one game below .500 for their overall record and failed to make post-season play (NCAA or WNIT) for the first time in several years.Maryland deflates BC seniors Boston.com. Retrieved on September 16, 2007.
In her sophomore season with the Lady Eagles, Brown finished the season averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, having started 31 of 33 games. She averaged 28.5 minutes a game. After finishing the regular season with a 21–12 overall record, BC advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament in March 2008 but was eliminated by Maryland in the next game by a 93–81 margin. The team wrapped up the 2007–08 season with a second-round elimination in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in Queens, N.Y. BCEagles.CSTV.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010.
In her junior year, Brown finished the season as the team's fourth-leading scorer having played in 35 games, 30 of which she started. She averaged 24.5 minutes, 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. The Lady Eagles ended the season at 23–12 overall after losing to Florida State in the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 6, 2009. BC went on to make the final round of the WNIT, where the Lady Eagles lost to South Florida 82–65. BCEagles.CSTV.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010.
Brown has been recognized for her basketball talents by Sports Illustrated Magazine, as she was featured as the magazine's "Intern of the Week" in June 2008 for her wide array of activities in addition to her hoop skills.Intern of the Week: Ayla Brown SporsIllustrated.CNN.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 She was also featured as WCVB-TV's "High 5" high school athlete of the week and has been profiled by New England Sports Network (NESN) on its staple program SportsDesk.
Boston College statistics Source
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006-07 Boston College 28 226 45.1 25.0 58.9 5.9 1.3 1.1 0.3 8.1
2007-08 Boston College 33 240 39.0 26.5 58.2 5.5 2.5 1.3 0.3 7.3
2008-09 Boston College 35 228 40.6 22.2 63.2 4.5 2.2 0.7 0.2 6.5
2009-10 Boston College 32 186 36.5 25.0 74.1 5.0 1.6 0.8 0.5 5.8
Career Boston College 128 880 40.3 25.0 63.2 5.2 1.9 1.0 0.3 6.9
Post-American Idol
Following her departure from Idol, Brown made hundreds of personal appearances in 2006, most covered by local or national media and drawing as many as 500 to 2,000 or more fans. She appeared at the Kiss 108 Concert in Mansfield, Massachusetts in front of 20,000 people on May 20, performing four songs in addition to introducing Natasha Bedingfield. Brown sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" on July 4 with the Boston Pops in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Brown's performance featured an F-16 flyover and was televised live by WBZ-TV, Boston's CBS affiliate.Ayla Brown – "The Star-Spangled Banner" with the Boston Pops YouTube.com/user/yutoobe. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 Brown sang the anthem at Fenway Park on July 12 and also performed six shows over three days at the Eastern States Exposition ("The Big E") in West Springfield, Massachusetts from September 15–17.
Brown was asked once again to perform with the Boston Pops at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on September 29, where they performed a full orchestrated version of her title track "Forward" as part of Boston College's parents' weekend celebration. Brown was also featured in the November 2006 issue of American Idol Magazine.
In 2007, Brown appeared at many events including the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast in South Boston on March 18 and the Crocker Field Sunset Concert Series on September 16 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Brown performed alongside veteran record producer David Foster at the "David Foster and Friends" tour when it stopped in Boston on October 25, 2009. Brown sang the disco hit "Got to Be Real" while accompanied by Foster at the concert, which took place at Boston University's Agganis Arena.Jammin' with his Friends BostonHerald.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010 She returned to the stage to close out the show with other guest performers for the finale of "America's Song".
Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress Since 2009, Brown has annually performed for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress's Buddy Walk & Family Picnic at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts. In 2011, backed by pre-recorded music, she sang "Ain't Leaving (Anything Here)" and other songs from Ayla Brown, Circles and Forward. In 2012, Brown would return with a five-piece band. More information about the MDSC's annual Buddy Walk & Family Picnic.
Forward Brown's debut album, Forward, was released on October 17, 2006. The album was recorded in New York at Tonic Studios, Raw Sugar Studios in Pawling, N.Y., and Double Deal Studios in Chappaqua, N.Y. The tracks were mixed at A-Pawling Studios by Peter Moshay. Brown began recording the vocals for the album immediately after signing her contract on August 24, and in just over a week, the recording sessions were completed. The reason for the hurried recording schedule was that Brown had to meet NCAA compliance deadlines and finish recording her album before beginning her career at Boston College.
The title track, "Forward", received airplay at Mainstream Adult Contemporary (AC) radio. It peaked at number 34 on Billboard'''s AC chart. The album sold 3,000 copies, placing Brown in 23rd place for American Idol alumni un-certified album sales.
Ayla Brown Live! On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, an eight-minute video consisting of concert and behind-the-scenes footage from a live show Brown performed at with "The James Montgomery Blues Band" and "The Uptown Horns" earlier in the summer was posted on Brown's record label's official YouTube channel.Ayla Brown 2010 Moving Forward YouTube.com/DoubleDealRecords. Retrieved on September 8, 2009. In the video, it was revealed that Brown's next release would be titled Ayla Brown Live! and would be a collection of live tracks performed with the two bands at the concert profiled in the video. It was also stated that Brown's next studio album, Circles, was scheduled for an April 6, 2010, release date, which was roughly one month after her career with the Boston College Lady Eagles was set to conclude. A tour that would coincide with the releases was also announced.
Circles – EP Following her father's victory in the 2010 Massachusetts special senate election, Brown received a great amount of media attention, which led her label to rush release her new EP Circles in late January.Ayla Brown sings it, well, like a senator's daughter WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. The EP's first single, "Pick It Up", was written by Brown's fellow American Idol semi-finalist Will Makar and Australian singer-songwriter Nathan Leigh Jones. The music video for "Pick It Up" premiered on her label's official YouTube channel on the same day of the release.Ayla Brown "Pick It Up" YouTube.com/user/DoubleDealRecords. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. Brown also appeared on the CBS morning news program The Early Show where she performed "No More" and talked about how her life had changed since her father's win.Ayla Brown Sings "No More" CBSNews.com. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. Ayla also performed the single "Pick It Up" on Fox and Friends on February 15, 2010.Ayla Brown on 'Fox & Friends' FoxNews.com. Retrieved on July 16, 2012.
On June 16, 2010, it was revealed that Brown was released from her contract with Double Deal Brand Records.
Overseas tours In 2010, Brown had the opportunity to travel overseas to as part of Outback Steakhouse's "Feeding Freedom" tour and performed for two weeks in Afghanistan.Wrentham's Ayla Brown goes on the road to perform for the troops MilfordDailyNews.com. Retrieved on July 16, 2012. In November 2010, Brown visited Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, where she entertained 15,000 troops.
Ayla Brown