Will Young

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Will Young is an English singer, songwriter and actor, born in Wokingham, Berkshire, in 1979. He grew up in Hungerford, became head chorister at school and learned to play the piano at the age of nine. He studied politics at the University of Exeter and played in a theatre group, where he got the role of Curly in Oklahoma! After that he trained in musical theatre in London. In 1999 he had already auditioned for a boy band on the TV programme This Morning, but that group had no success.

Music and breakthrough

In 2001 he entered Pop Idol, a talent show on ITV. In a preliminary round he sang a jazzy, lounge-style version of Light My Fire by The Doors. The judge Simon Cowell called it average, but the public voted Young through as number one. The incident is often seen as the start of his pop career. In 2002 he won the first Idol competition in the world. His double debut single Anything Is Possible and Evergreen became the fastest-selling debut single in Britain.

Influence

His debut album From Now On from 2002 went straight to number one. Friday's Child from 2003 did even better. Keep On, Let It Go, Echoes, 85% Proof, Lexicon and Crying on the Bathroom Floor followed. He also acted in film and theatre, including in Mrs. Henderson Presents in 2005 and in the musical Cabaret in London, for which he received an Olivier nomination. He has also written books, including the autobiography Funny Peculiar. Young showed that a television contest could lead to a lasting career.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 2002From Now On
• 2003Friday’s Child
• 2005Keep On
• 2008Let It Go
• 2011Echoes
• 201585% Proof
• 2019Lexicon
• 2021Crying on the Bathroom Floor
• 2024Light It Up

See also

• Friday’s Child