Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the worldwide Idol franchise. His double A-sided debut single "Anything Is Possible" / "Evergreen" was released two weeks after the show's finale and became the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. Young also came in fifth place in World Idol performing the single "Light My Fire" written by the band the Doors.
For other people with similar names, see William Young.
Will Young
Singer, songwriter, actor
2001–present
As a teenager, Young studied politics at the University of Exeter before moving to London, where he studied musical theatre at the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick. Young put his studies on hold in late 2001 to become a contestant on Pop Idol. After winning the competition the following year, he released his debut album From Now On (2002) which went straight to number one. Friday's Child (2003) followed and enjoyed greater success, eventually going platinum five times in the UK and spawning three top five singles. His following albums Keep On (2005), Let It Go (2008) and Echoes (2011) also went multi-platinum and 85% Proof (2015) became his fourth UK number-one album. His albums have spawned many songs that have achieved top ten positions in the UK, four of which went to the number one spot. Young has also undertaken numerous concert tours, and has accumulated multiple honours, including two Brit Awards from 12 nominations, and the estimated worldwide sale of over eight million albums.[1] Young's net worth was estimated at £13.5 million in April 2012.[2]
Alongside his music career, Young has acted in film, on stage and in television. For his performance in the 2013 London revival of the musical Cabaret, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. He has also participated in philanthropy and released books Anything is Possible (2002),[3] On Camera, Off Duty (2004), his autobiography Funny Peculiar (2012), To be a Gay Man (2020) and The A–Z of Wellbeing (2022). In January 2022 he appeared in the third series of The Masked Singer as "Lionfish" and in May issued the compilation album 20 Years: The Greatest Hits.
Early life and education[edit]
Early life and family[edit]
Young was born on 20 January 1979 in Wokingham, Berkshire, and is the second-oldest child of Robin Young, a company director of an engineering firm, and Annabel Young (née Griffith), a plant nursery gardener. Born six weeks prematurely, he was ten minutes older than his twin brother, Rupert who died in July 2020.[4] He also has an older sister Emma.[5][6][7]
Young was born into an affluent, middle-class family, whose paternal ancestry has strong ties to the British government and military services.[8] His grandfather, Digby Aretas Young (d. 1966) served in the Royal Air Force,[8] and his great-great-great-great-grandfather was Colonel Sir Aretas William Young,[8] who, in 1795 at seventeen years old, joined the British Army and served in Ireland and Egypt before fighting in the Peninsular War. Aretas was later stationed in Trinidad and eventually took charge of the Trinidadian government, before moving to Demerara where he was appointed Protector of Slaves. Aretas became the sixth Governor of Prince Edward Island in 1831, and three years later was knighted by King William IV.[9][10][11] One of Aretas's sons was Sir Henry Young, fifth Governor of South Australia, later first Governor of Tasmania.[12][13]
Education[edit]
Young was brought up in Hungerford, West Berkshire, and was initially educated at Kingsbury Hill School in Marlborough, Wiltshire, before attending Horris Hill Preparatory School, Newbury, between the ages of eight and thirteen.[14] His first appearance on stage was at the age of four when he played a fir tree in a school production and had one line to speak.[15] At Horris Hill, Young was head chorister in the school choir, and at the age of nine he learned how to play the piano.[16] Young recalls that at Horris Hill, pupils were taught that they were more privileged than pupils from state schools, and that one day he wrote a letter stating, "I must pass common entrance to take me to public school, otherwise I'll be going to state school and everyone will be very disappointed."[17] At thirteen, Young and his brother were enrolled as boarders at the public school Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire.[18] Young appeared in several school productions and often gave speeches in assembly, despite later admitting that he never felt completely comfortable being the centre of attention.[19]
It was during this period that he became interested in sports and for a time he dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games in the 400-metre sprint, which he could run in under fifty seconds – the Olympic average is forty-three seconds.[18] He became captain of the school's basketball and athletics teams, and also represented the school in the triple jump, long jump, football and rugby.[19] The only sport he says he felt uncomfortable playing was cricket.[18]
Young left school with ten GCSEs,[19] but achieved disappointing A-Level results and had to enrol in d'Overbroeck's College, Oxford, to re-sit his exams. He took a part-time job as a waiter at the Grand Café in Oxford, and became interested in environmental issues and local campaigning, joining a group called the Eco Society.[20] He passed his A-Levels the second time, earning As in Politics and Ancient History, and a B in English.[21] In 1998 Young began studying politics at the University of Exeter,[22] choosing the subject because, "I thought I should know more about what was going on in my country."[23] He also took women's studies at university and considers himself a feminist.[24] His interest in performing arts continued, and he joined a theatre group called Footlights where he eventually landed the lead role of Curly in their production of Oklahoma! "I really enjoyed it and doing that gave me a lot of confidence", he later said of the show.[25] He also took a work experience position at Sony Records to gain insight into the music industry.[17][26] Other work included runway and photographic modelling, gardening, tearing labels off T-shirts in a clothing factory, and being a waiter.[27] He graduated in 2001 with a 2:2 bachelor's degree.[17][26] After leaving university, Young knew that he wanted to be a professional singer, but he did not want to be full of naivety and without training. In September 2001 he became a student at the Arts Educational Schools, in Chiswick, London.[28]
Other ventures[edit]
Acting career[edit]
Young added acting to his repertoire when he accepted a role in the BBC film Mrs Henderson Presents, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, in which he played Bertie.[131] The film was released in the UK in November 2005 to excellent reviews—not least for Young's performance as both actor and singer in the film. The scene in which Young appears naked postdated his "absolutely thrilled" acceptance of the British male Rear of the Year Award 2005, an accolade to add to the Most Stylish Male Music Star, Best Bod, Sexiest Star, Best Dressed and Best Hair awards he had already won. Young was an Executive Producer for Ralph Fiennes production of Shakespeare's Coriolanus filmed in Serbia, and his documentary on the making of the film features on its DVD release. He was to have a small role in the film as a reporter on the conflict as well as being Executive Producer,[107] but it was decided that his appearance was a "distraction" and it did not make the final cut of the film.
Young trod the boards in the Royal Exchange Theatre's production of The Vortex by Noël Coward. This production ran from January to March 2007 and Young played the leading role of Nicky Lancaster. Critics, including Nicholas de Jongh, were very positive.[132] He recently appeared in the musical Cabaret in London, after a short nationwide tour. This marked his West End debut. He was awarded the What's on Stage award for London Newcomer of the Year.[133] He was also nominated for the 2013 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, but lost out to Michael Ball.
Young also appeared in the 2010 Marple drama "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" and guest starred in a 2010 episode of Skins.[134][135] In 2011, he starred in a new drama series on Sky Living called Bedlam, about supernatural happenings taking place at a disused asylum being converted into loft-style apartments. The £3 million six-part series began airing on 7 February 2011. It was distributed by BBC Worldwide.[136] Young was a guest on Top Gear during season 12 episode 2 and set the fastest wet lap around the track in the Chevrolet Lacetti. On 31 October 2011, Young was also the guest host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
In November 2004, Young presented a documentary entitled Runaways[137] as part of the Children in Need campaign, highlighting the problems facing distressed teens who run away from home, and the plight they were in being picked up off the streets and railway stations by pimps who offered them work and drugs. The children did not know where to go for immediate help unless they were picked up by the police and sent to a refuge centre. During June 2007 a series of documentaries entitled Saving Planet Earth was shown on BBC Television. Young filmed an episode about saving the gorillas of West Africa during his visit to Africa earlier in the year.
In March 2009, ITV1 arts programme, The South Bank Show presented an hour long fly on the wall documentary about Young that they had been filming over the course of the year as he returned to promote the Let It Go album. It showed him in Iceland filming the video for the "Let It Go" single, backstage before his performance on The X Factor and on his UK theatre tour from November 2008 among other segments.[138] In August 2011, ITV based an hour-long programme on Young, entitled A Night with Will Young. This was to promote the release of his most recent album Echoes.
In October 2007, Young narrated an audio version of the Roald Dahl novel Danny, the Champion of the World.
Young was made a "Companion" of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2009.[139]
In January 2023 Young returned to the theatre with the one-man show Song from Far Away, by Olivier Award winner Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel, at the HOME Theatre in Manchester.[140]
Other activities[edit]
On 27 October 2008, Young spoke on Celebrity at the Oxford Union, where he showed an interest in forming a band named 'Will Young and the Credit Crunchers'.[141] He was invited to appear on Question Time after he revealed he was a fan of the show.[142] He participated in the edition from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, in February 2009 and March 2012.[142]
Young supports the charity Women's Aid, about which he wrote, "I am proud to put my name beside this cause, and hope that I might be able to help more people affected by the terrors of domestic violence, as well as help to create a wider awareness within our society."[143]
Young also supports Mencap, about which he wrote, "I'm very much in this for the long term, and I'd like to help continue to break down peoples' misconceptions and prejudices". He also supports The Children's Society Safe and Sound Campaign, and Positive Action Southwest (PASW), for which he performed at his first solo concert, in July 2003, at Killerton House, Exeter.
Young has been an ambassador for the Prince's Trust since 2002, and performed at the 30th anniversary concert in the grounds of the Tower of London.
Together with Dame Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter and Martin Freeman, Young appeared in a series of advertisements during the Christmas period 2007 for Oxfam; "Oxfam Unwrapped".
Young is the ambassador for Mood Foundation, a charity which aims to build a database of private therapists and alternative therapies to treat various types of depressive conditions. It was set up by Young's twin brother Rupert Young.[144]
Young is an ambassador for Catch22,[145] a UK young people's charity, which supports young people in tough situations. The young people may come from tough upbringings or districts, where poverty, crime and unemployment are common features. They may be leaving care, truanting, or have been excluded from school. Some of them have started getting into trouble with the police or may have got as far as custody.[146] In April 2011 Young ran the London Marathon for Catch22,[147] competing again for the charity in 2012.
On 18 April 2012, Young confirmed he would be releasing his first autobiography. The book was published by Sphere on 11 October 2012 entitled Funny Peculiar.
As of March 2014, Young accepted the opportunity to become a spokesperson for the non-for-profit charity organisation gAID. Similar to Woman AID, gAID focuses on domestic violence in homosexual relationships.
In August 2016, Young was announced as a contestant participating in the fourteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. After having competed, with professional dancer Karen Clifton, over the first three weeks of the show, on 11 October he announced that he was quitting the show for "personal reasons".[148]
Young is a longtime supporter of wildlife charities, including WWF. He released What the World Needs Now in late 2015, from the album 85% Proof, to raise awareness and funds for declining wildlife populations around the world, saying, "It's shocking to think that in my lifetime global wildlife populations have declined by over 50% and our forests and oceans remain at risk." The music video, produced by WWF, was aired on UK television in late 2015.[149]
Young confirmed on 1 September 2020 during BBC2's Newsnight interview that his new book To Be a Gay Man would be published by Virgin Books on 3 September 2020. In it, he writes of the Chris Moyles "rampage of homophobia" in 2009, live on BBC Radio 1, which left Young "aghast" and unable to speak out against it at the time.
In November 2021, Young handcuffed himself to a gate, joining a protest at Camp Beagle.[150]
Following the death of his twin, Rupert, Young presented a Channel 4 documentary, titled Will Young: Losing My Twin Rupert.[151][152] The documentary, airing on 10 May 2022, was rated 4/5 stars by The Guardian.[153] Young was praised by viewers and critics for being so open and honest about Rupert's addiction and suicide.[154]
Personal life[edit]
In March 2002 after winning Pop Idol, Young publicly came out as gay, pre-empting a tabloid newspaper from outing him. He also stated that he had never hidden it and was comfortable with his sexual orientation. As of 2017, Young was in a relationship.[155][156]
Young's main home is a house in Dalston, East London. He also owns a 17th-century cottage in the middle of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall,[157] where he is a keen gardener.[158]
On 30 July 2020, it was confirmed that Young's twin brother, Rupert, had died, aged 41.[159] A spokesperson for the family said, "Will's relationship with Rupert had been tough over the years at times, and they had both spoken about the mental health problems which had made it challenging ... there were hopes he had turned a corner and they are a very loving family – and utterly devastated by his passing."[160]
In 2020, Young adopted two dogs, Domino and Diamond, which had faced being put down in America.[161]
In April 2021 Young spoke about his experiences at his prep school, Horris Hill Preparatory School in Newbury, saying he had had PTSD. He said, "I've been thinking a lot about prep school, and wondering if any of those institutions will be brought to justice for the things that I saw happen ... kids thrown against radiators. Other things I can't talk about." Young also remembered drunk teachers "rolling around dormitories", and one "you wouldn't go for a ride with ... Teachers looking at our penises in the shower, in the bath ... There was such a sense of injustice from things that I experienced and witnessed ... I think I escaped – not that it didn't damage me."[162][163]
Headlining
Co-headlining
Accolades[edit]
BT Digital Music Awards[edit]
Launched in 2002, the BT Digital Music Awards were held annually in the United Kingdom.[175]