David Young: New singer with a penchant for old standards and early hits

MANILA, Philippines — David Young is an up-and-coming crooner who graced the successful “Kuh Sings Her ABCs” and had the opportunity to hold his own in the presence of the Philippines’ Pop Diva Kuh Ledesma. Prior to it, he provided entertainment at this year’s Miss Manila.

His stints, including the recent ones, show that singing is something he wants to do and pursue from here on. David, the singer, has set his sights on continuing to make his firsts.

“As a performer, I do stick more to old standards, early hits,” said he, a multi-genre music listener, in a virtual chat with The STAR. “I love those (genres). There’s a certain emotion to them that I really like to bring out whenever I perform. That’s really what I do.”

David is also into ballads (by artists such as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra), crooning songs, jazz and ‘70s acoustic tunes.

However, he’s focused on “crooning, jazz and ballads.”

As for his penchant for music, David attributed it to his mom, who was a professional singer.

“She used to take me as a little kid to her gigs,” recalled he. “I remember being in several different places. I think she performed once at the Music Museum as a guest. She performed a few times here and there, and I would often watch her.”

“To me, singing wasn’t really something I focused on or thought at first that I would have a career in,” continued he. “I was interested in music, I just sang along to whatever I heard on the radio, I imitated a lot of the singers that I heard whether it was Elvis (Presley), Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and many more. Sometimes, I also like to sing along to Bee Gees.”

When the young David grew older and kept singing, he realized that he might have a shot at singing. Their family had a lounge that allowed him to hone his skills by working with different artists and musicians. David would have gigs at RJ Bistro, described as “the home of rock and roll in the country” by its Facebook page. Entrepreneur and musician RJ Jacinto is behind it. The young singer does Elvis shows.

“I do it once in a while, but whenever RJ asks, I will do it. RJ is an amazing man, a super talented musician. I’m willing to do shows for him. It’s also another place where I not only get exposure, but I get exposed to different audiences to banter, speak with an audience, and perform,” said David.

Although he has already made his baby steps in the local entertainment scene, David said he looks forward to becoming a professional singer in a couple of years and wishes to have a long, successful career. Part of it is collaborating more with established and new voices. He also wants to have his own studio. Releasing a single is in the works.

“I’m really interested in producing and songwriting, and I really want to improve in that craft, not just singing. I started off with singing. I never really grew up making songs, but ever since I started my professional career, my love for music has only grown,” said he, who wants to dabble in different areas of the music industry.

David finished high school at Brent International School Manila in 2023 and is taking a gap year. Before starting his college education, he is taking online classes on music production and music business management, shared the 19-year-old half-American, half-Filipino.

Again, what also keeps David busy in his gap year is expanding his horizons in singing.