AJ Gil | |
|---|---|
| Born | Abner Juda Gil (1984-07-05)July 5, 1984 (age 41) San Diego, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop,R&B,Christian music |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Juda Music Productions |
Abner Juda Gil (born July 5, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who placed eighth during thefirst season ofAmerican Idol. Following his participation on theFoxreality series, he released twomixtapes, as well as several standalone singles. He also starred in the 2005 independent filmDestination Fame. Throughout his career, Gil has collaborated with a variety of artists. He was the first Latino to ever place onAmerican Idol, and several of his songs are in Spanish.
The 2002compilation albumAmerican Idol: Greatest Moments, which reached No. 4 on theBillboard 200 chart, features Gil covering "My Cherie Amour" byStevie Wonder as one of its tracks. A few months after competing onAmerican Idol, Gil went on anationwide tour with the other season one finalists. His first radio single, "She's Hot" (featuring the artist Max-A-Million), was written for the filmDestination Fame, although the song was released in 2003, two years before the film's premiere.
Upon founding his own recording studio, Juda Music Productions, Gil began a career inR&B, which culminated with the 2011 release of his first mixtape,Love Me Later. Gil's second mixtape,Life, Death & Resurrection, marked a transition toChristian music and was released in 2013.
Abner Juda Gil, known professionally as AJ Gil,[1] was born on July 5, 1984, in San Diego, California, to Martin and Teresa Gil.[2] He is the fourth of ten children.[2][3] His father, aminister and amissionary,[3][4] moved the family toMexico, when Gil was four years old. While there, they struggled financially.[2][3] Gil assisted his family in sellingstreet food and performingmanual labor jobs.[2] His family returned to the United States a few years later,[3] and they settled inTacoma, Washington, after living in a van for several months.[2]
Gil first began playing the drums and guitar around the age of seven. He learned how to play the piano soon after.[2] Growing up, he would often perform in his father's church.[2][5] One of Gil's aunts was a regular performer onThe Lawrence Welk Show, and around the time of Gil's participation onAmerican Idol, one of Gil's cousins was abackup singer forMarc Anthony.[3] Before going onto theFoxreality series, Gil had never been to a concert, despite his family connections to the music industry.[6] Gil has citedBrian McKnight andStevie Wonder as two of his primary musical influences.[7]
Gil attended the auditions forAmerican Idol'sfirst season inSeattle.[8][9][a] At the time, he was a seventeen year old rising senior atLincoln High School.[3][8][9] Initially unsure whether he would have a means of transportation, he was one of the last people to try out that day, and as he did not have a song prepared ahead of time, he chose "The Star-Spangled Banner", due to his familiarity with singing it in school.[9] His rendition was well received by the judges and earned astanding ovation fromRandy Jackson.[8]
Upon advancing into the Top 30 semi-finals, Gil was placed into Group 2.[9] He sang "All or Nothing" byO-Town.[11] BothPaula Abdul andSimon Cowell complimented Gil's voice after the performance, but criticized his stage presence.[12][13] Despite this lukewarm response from the judges, Gil was voted through to the Top 10.[14][15][16] This made him the first Latino finalist in the history ofAmerican Idol.[8] In-between his semi-final performance and the first week of the finals, Gil turned eighteen.[17] He went on to perform "My Cherie Amour" byStevie Wonder for the Top 10Motown-themed round and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" byMarvin Gaye for the Top 81960s-themed round.[11][b] The judges continued to offer faint praise,[18][19] and Gil finished in eighth place.[20][21][22]
"[Gil], the best dancer of the bunch, proved he would be the perfect replacement for the other A.J. (McLean, that is) should he ever leave his post as the bearded bad boy of the Backstreet Boys."
Throughout his time onAmerican Idol, Gil was often compared to variousboy-band members, and he was described byBillboard as "a relatively reserved singer with teen-idol looks."[24] Writing for theBoston Herald, Monica Collins considered Gil and fellow contestantEJay Day to be "'indistinguishableN Sync-ish names and faces".[25] In an article forThe Plain Dealer, Clint O'Connor wrote that Gil hailed from the "Backstreet Boys-'N Sync-wannabe collection."[26] Jim Derogatis of theChicago Sun-Times called Gil "a boy-band clone",[27] and Chris Macias of theSacramento Bee noted that Gil's popularity on the series could be partially attributed to a "boy-band look".[28]
Music and TV critics, like the judges, were generally tepid about Gil's performances withAmerican Idol. When Gil was eliminated from the competition, Jessica Shaw ofEntertainment Weekly wrote, "I wish I could say A.J. would be missed from the competition, but he was so boring I can barely remember anything about him."[29] Gil's vocals on the series and its accompanying album,American Idol: Greatest Moments, were deemed underwhelming by various publications[28][30][31][32][33] and his stage presence during the competition was called "stiff" by Macias.[28] Conversely, in an assessment of the top eight finalists for theContra Costa Times, Deirdre McGruder wrote that Gil's vocals were almost comparable to those ofJustin Timberlake. He named Gil as a potential front-runner in the competition, although he noted that Gil's stage presence was in need of improvement.[34] Other positive reviews came from R.S. Murthi of theNew Straits Times, who singled out Gil's recorded version of "My Cherie Amour" as one of the highlights onAmerican Idol: Greatest Moments,[35] and Cristin Maher ofPopCrush, who wrote in a 2013 retrospective feature that Gil showed off "near-perfect crooning" in his live performance of that song.[36]
Gil's rendition of "My Cherie Amour" was noted for having aLatin music influence. Critics diverged in opinions of Gil's approach to this material.Maura Johnston ofVulture voiced appreciation for Gil's decision to give the original's "French a slight Latin spin",[31] but Derogatis was dismissive, writing that the song "doesn't work with asalsa beat".[27]
Johnston was less favorable toward Gil's "How Sweet It Is" performance, writing that Gil's voice was "ill-served" by that song.[31] Alan Pergament ofThe Buffalo News concurred, dubbing the performance "not-so-sweet".[37] Johnston ultimately felt that Gil struggled in the competition due toAmerican Idol's restrictive weekly themes.[31] By the time ofAmerican Idol'sseason one tour, Corey Moss ofMTV suggested that Gil's stage presence had improved, calling Gil "the best dancer" of all the male finalists.[23] During one ofAmerican Idol's live episodes, Abdul remarked that Gil's best performance in the competition came during the Hollywood rounds – referencing a performance that was left unaired.[18]
| Episode | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Contestant's Choice | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | N/A | N/A | Advanced |
| Top 30 | Contestant's Choice | "All or Nothing" | O-Town | 4 | Advanced |
| Top 10 | Motown | "My Cherie Amour" | Stevie Wonder | 9 | Safe |
| Top 8 | 1960s | "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" | Marvin Gaye | 4 | Eliminated |
About a month after being voted offAmerican Idol, Gil opened the first ever concert at Seattle's then-newSeahawks Stadium, by singing thenational anthem.[38] The multi-headliner concert includedAvril Lavigne,P. Diddy,Shaggy, and O-Town, among others.[38] Gil then went on to participate in a group medley duringAmerican Idol's season one finale,[39] and a few weeks after that, he reunited with the series' top thirty contestants to perform in the two-hourAmerican Idol in Las Vegas TV special.[40][41]
"[S]itting right there was AJ Gil, theAmerican Idol contestant who'd made it to the Top 8 that first season. I knew every single song he'd performed on the show and really admired his beautifultenor voice. To me, this guy was a huge celebrity and I was completely star struck. Here I was on theJenny Jones Show, sharing agreen room with one of the American Idols. This was more than big-time – this was it!"
Shortly after being eliminated fromAmerican Idol, Gil met an eleven-year-oldDavid Archuleta, when the two were guests onThe Jenny Jones Show. A week after that first meeting, they reunited in Los Angeles, where Gil introduced Archuleta to the other season one finalists.[43][44][45][46] Video footage of this encounter, in which Archuleta sings for the group of finalists, was shown on theseventh season ofAmerican Idol, when Archuleta himself was a contestant.[47]
Through October and November 2002, Gil participated in the2002 American Idols LIVE! tour, along with his fellow top ten finalists.[48] For each stop of the tour, Gil reprised his performance of "My Cherie Amour" from the series.[49][50][51] He subsequently reunited with O-Town andAmerican Idol season one tenth place finalist EJay Day to perform on a float forGive Kids the World inPasadena, California's New Year's DayRose Parade.[52][53] Gil and Day sang "Calling All Angels",[52] a song which had been specifically written for the Give Kids the World charity organization.[54] The two later performed "Calling All Angels" at anOrlando, Floridafundraising gala in June[54][55] and released this duet as a single through Give Kids the World.[52][54][56]
Following his participation onAmerican Idol, Gil recorded a version of "My Cherie Amour" that was featured on acompilation album of all the season one finalists. That album,American Idol: Greatest Moments, was released on October 1, 2002, and reached No. 4 on theBillboard 200 chart.[57][58][59] Gil had announced during his time onAmerican Idol that he hoped to title his debut albumThanx 2 U.[6] In January 2003,USA Today reported that Gil was "working on demos with producers" and "hoping for acontract".[60]
By March, Gil had moved to Orlando, and that month, he performed in "A Magical Night of Entertainment" byRadio Disney as part ofNew Port Richey, Florida's 81st annual Chasco Fiesta.[1][61][62] In addition to his performances with Give Kids the World, Gil was involved with various other fundraising events throughout 2003. In April, he performed in at least threebenefit concerts – one for theAmerican Diabetes Association, which was held with3rd Wish atWet 'n Wild Orlando;[63] one for Intervention Services Foster Children and HOPE Worldwide, which was held withRonnie McDowell in the "Rally for America" festival at Orlando Festival Park;[64] and one for the families of those killed in theStation nightclub fire, which was held withBlackhawk,Blue Öyster Cult,Billy Gilman,Justincase,Lennon Murphy,Rick Derringer, theSouthern Rock Allstars, andVanessa Olivarez, among others, at theProvidence Performing Arts Center.[65]
In May, theToronto Star reported that Gil was "working on an album".[66] Later that month, Gil opened the first concert ofDanny Wood's solo career,[67] and in July, Gil signed a five-year contract to New Artist Entertainment.[68] That month, he performed atNeverland Ranch forJoe Jackson's birthday party.[69]
Around that time, Gil was approached for the leading role in an independent film, titledDestination Fame.[4][70] Playing the role of Chris, Gil starred alongside Joe Jackson,[c]Cuba Gooding Sr.,Jordan Knight, Ricky Aiello (the son ofDanny Aiello),Doug E. Fresh, andMario.[71][72] Filming on the project was underway by August and finished over the fall.[4][70] First-time director Paul DeAngelo producedDestination Fame through hisfilm production and music recording studio, Big Hit Entertainment.[70] DeAngelo's hometown ofBayonne, New Jersey, was used as the filming location.[72] One of the film's songs, "She's Hot", was released as a single by Gil (featuring Max-A-Million) in July 2003.[73][74][75]
In December 2003,The News Tribune reported that Gil had recorded about thirty tracks for an album that was scheduled to be released the following year. Gil said, "I'm just trying to take my time, because I know if I rush it, it's not gonna make sense to people".[4] Soon after speaking with the newspaper, Gil moved to Miami.[4] The album was never released.[68]
Over the summer of 2004, Gil held a benefit concert atBlank Park Zoo inDes Moines, Iowa, forDrake University's Institute for Character Development.[76][77] The following year, in May,Family Feud ran a span of episodes featuring Gil and various otherAmerican Idol finalists as the competitors.[78][79][80] In-between those two appearances,People reported that Gil had parted ways with his manager over creative differences – his manager had wanted him to record pop music; Gil chose instead to pursue a career inR&B.[81] Looking back in 2012, Gil told theDaily Beast that his manager had "swindled him by taking too much control".[82] Gil became homeless, sometimes living with one of his sisters or one of his friends, and at other times living out of his car.[82] By January 2005, Gil had found a new manager inCharlie Morgan. According toPeople, Gil had "start[ed] to record some R&B tracks" around this time and was also writing music for other artists.[81]Destination Fame held its official premiere on October 27, 2005, in Bayonne, after screening one month earlier at theTemecula Valley International Film and Music Festival.[71][72]
"Prior to writing this song God was really teaching me the value of keeping Him as the center and focus of my life ... Long story short, God took music away from me for almost two years which allowed me to spend time seeking God and knowing Him in a much deeper level."
By 2008, Gil had moved to California.[84] In March of that year,USA Today reported that he was using his middle name Juda and studying music production atLos Angeles Recording School. Gil also opened a recording studio called Juda Productions around this time.[84] On April 18 of that year, he performed thehalf-time show at a Hollywood Knightsbasketball game.[85][86][87][d] During a July interview with hiphopdelight.com, Gil remarked that he had completed an unspecified album.[90] No album was released that year,[83] but in 2009, he went on to release the non-album singles "Roll with Me" and "Work Your Body",[91][92][93] the former of which features DJ Static of the German groupVibekingz [de] and CLAiM.[94][95][96]
In 2010, the official website forAmerican Idol announced that Gil's newmixtape,Love Me Later, was scheduled to be released on July 20 of that year.[97] After being made available to download through firm400entertainment.com,[98][99][100]Love Me Later was officially released in January 2011.[83][101] On September 7 of that year, the albumHollywood Freeway Music by the artist MDK was released, which features Gil on five of the eight tracks.[102][103][104] Previously, Gil had collaborated with MDK on the non-album songs "Out of Control" and "My Future's Bright", the latter of which also features Young Fame.[105][106][107] Other non-album songs released by Gil during this stage of his career include "She Likes it" (with Tommy Gunz and Johnathan Royster),[108] "One Way Road" (with J-Nez),[109] "Going Away",[110] "I Try",[111] and "I Regret It".[112] Gil closed out 2011 by headlining theWisconsin Chamber Orchestra's Middleton Holiday Pops Concert, which was held on November 27 and 28.[113]
Gil subsequently switched genres toChristian music, and on July 26, 2013, he released a mixtape titledLife, Death & Resurrection.[83][114][115] The mixtape features one Spanish-language track, "El Triunfo", and a bilingual cover of "Listen to My Heart" (originally recorded byGeoff Moore & the Distance under the title "Listen to Our Hearts"),[83][116] which Mark Franklin of theYork Dispatch deemed to be a "very pretty" rendition of the song.[83] One of the mixtape's tracks, "I Live", was released as a single.[83] Gil has aSoundCloud page for Juda Music Productions, on which several other songs of his can be heard.[117]
| Love Me Later | |
|---|---|
| Mixtape by AJ Gil | |
| Released | 2011 |
| Genre | R&B,Soul |
| Label | Juda Music Productions |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ooh, Aah (Feeling Good)" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Sexin Rockin" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "My Life" | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Overtime" | 4:51 |
| 5. | "Not Too Much" | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Running from Love" (featuring Nick James) | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Party with Me" (featuring Nikko Beason) | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Break It Down" | 3:35 |
| 9. | "Like a Star" | 3:51 |
| Life, Death & Resurrection | |
|---|---|
| Mixtape by AJ Gil | |
| Released | July 26, 2013 |
| Genre | Christian music |
| Label | Juda Music Productions |
Writing credits adapted from ajgilworld.com.[118]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Live" |
| 3:36 |
| 2. | "Life in God" (featuring Michael B. Pratt) |
| 4:28 |
| 3. | "Fast Lane" |
| 3:38 |
| 4. | "Better Man" |
| 4:59 |
| 5. | "Can You See?" |
| 4:26 |
| 6. | "El Triunfo" |
| 5:10 |
| 7. | "Listen to My Heart (Cover)" | 4:14 |
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Calling All Angels"(withEJay Day) | Non-album single |
| "She's Hot"(with Max-A-Million) | ||
| 2008 | "I Try" | |
| 2009 | "Roll with Me"(with DJ Static and CLAiM) | |
| "Work Your Body" | ||
| 2010 | "Out of Control"(with MDK) | |
| 2011 | "I Regret It" | |
| "She Likes It"(with Tommy Gunz and Johnathan Royster) | ||
| "My Future's Bright"(with MDK and Young Fame) | ||
| "One Way Road"(with J-Nez) | ||
| 2012 | "Going Away" | |
| 2013 | "I Live" | Life, Death & Resurrection |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Hollywood Freeway Music |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| 2002 | American Idol: Greatest Moments | 4 | Credited on the following tracks:
|
| Year | Song | Note |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | "You Are Better" | Available on SoundCloud.[117] |
| "Todo Es Tuyo" | ||
| "Estrellas No Lloran" | ||
| "Independiente" | ||
| "Te Buscare" | ||
| "Baila" | ||
| "Dame" | ||
| "Ready for War" | ||
| "En La Luna" |
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