Popstar!-Nov 2000

When we went to see a showcase for the new Qwest boyband YA(aka Youth Asylum),we went for the free pizza. Not really, but sometimes the food is the best thing you get out of watching new acts, especially if they're not *quite* ready to be seen.
The boys of YA were *born* ready!
Made up of Flashlight, Kevin, Jason, Derek, Donnell and Leo, YA wowed us with their tight dance moves, their blinding charisma and their killer voices. All six are great singers, and all six are also something else that's rare--actual teenagers!
"Definitely, all teen issues are big on our minds, because we're teenagers, too," says platinum cutie, Kevin.
But maybe the most important aspect of YA and the thing that really catches your eye is their racial diversity. Many bands are, unfortunately, all black or all white. Why? No good reason. YA is about breaking down barriers in a way that's musically fresh, challenging and....fun!
"We do have messages, but hopefully people will have fun and enjoy our music. It's a collaboration of all different types of music, it's an expression of teenagers and what they want and what they listen to," says Kevin.
We feel that if you give YA a chance by picking up their debut Qwest CD We Are Young Americans, you'll be thinking of them as seriously cool new addition to all your fave bands.