Will Young: Thank you for the music

Time flies. The original pop idol has been in the game for 20 years. It’s a momentous time for reality TV star Will Young that will be marked with a 20th anniversary tour. Next year, he’ll hit the road to celebrate the milestone, playing Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on October 15.

“I still can’t believe that next year already marks the 20th anniversary of Pop Idol and I’m sure you all can’t believe it either,” he says. “I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to travel around the UK playing live for you all.

“I’ll be performing all of my hits from the past 20 years and also learning songs from across my back catalogue so I can play some of your special requests (b-sides, album tracks & more!). Some very limited packages for an exclusive pre-show soundcheck event are also available.

“I really hope you can all join me. Here’s to the next 20 years.”

Young will be releasing a greatest hits album to coincide with the anniversary.

“As many of you know, next year marks the 20th anniversary since you all voted for me as the original winner of Pop Idol, something for which I am forever grateful. I have been so fortunate and thankful that for the 20 years that followed you have supported me in all my endeavours. It’s only thanks to you all that I have been able to carry on doing what I love most, which is writing and recording music, and performing live.

“I have spent the last few months planning how to mark 2022 in the biggest way possible, and top of the list had to be an anniversary tour where I play all of your favourite songs from across my career. I’ll be taking requests on this tour and preparing songs from across my back catalogue, so think about what tracks you want to hear most.”

Young originally hoped to become an athlete, rather than a pop star. He dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games in the 400m sprint, which he could run in under 50 seconds, against the Olympic average of 43. He became captain of a number of sports teams then moved to Exeter University to study politics.

His interest in the arts grew and he joined a local theatre group, where he flourished. He also started working at Sony Records, to learn more about the music industry.

Young’s ambition to sing grew during that era and during his second year of university he entered a TV competition to join a boy band. Two years later, Pop Idol was launched and a university classmate told Young about an advert in the News of the World. The winner was guaranteed a £1 million recording contact and a management deal.

Young dazzled while also standing out after taking on Simon Cowell. The exchange ended with Young telling Cowell: “Sorry, can I finish? Thank you. It’s nice that you’ve given opinions in this show. In previous shows you haven’t, you’ve just projected insults and it’s been terrible to watch... It is your opinion, but I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it was average. I don’t think you could ever call that average, but it is your opinion and I respect that, so thank you very much.”

And so began a remarkable career. Young went on to win the show, beating Gareth Gates then hitting the charts.

Funny, then, that he’s still in the game 20 years on. These days, the pace is a little slower, which he enjoys.

“I just managed to have a lovely two-week break in Greece. I studied ancient history and was completely excited and overwhelmed at finally being able to visit the Acropolis, the birthplace of democracy. Also my new single ‘Indestructible’ was released, the third track from my most recent album ‘Crying On The Bathroom Floor’, and I’ve been so pleased with the response.”

He’s astonished that he’s been performing for nigh on two decades. “I love the phrase ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ and the last 20 years have been more fun than I could ever have imagined. I’ll never forget how people took the time to pick up the phone and vote for me – it’s kept me humble and grateful ever since.”

He looks back on Pop Idol in 2002 as the biggest ‘sliding doors’ moment of his life. He’s unsure whether he’d have succeeded as a pop star without taking that plunge and auditioning for the show. He said: “Because I don’t think anyone would’ve signed me, an openly gay politics student. That’s what was so beautiful about the show.”

Receiving a mountain of votes from the British public was a unique experience.

“It was such a new experience; not just for me, but also for everyone involved in the TV show. No one knew it was going to become such a huge success, to the point where it was even debated in parliament! The whole thing was a rollercoaster of fun and laughs and it felt very validating to be voted for by so many people.”

And so when he hits the road, it’s time to celebrate what happened afterwards.

“I am going to be playing most of my singles from over the last 20 years, possibly in chronological order! I’m also going to have a request section where me and my pianist would have learnt every single one of my songs – including all the b-sides.”

Young dipped his toe back in the water recently with a handful of intimate ‘a night with’ type live shows. He was thrilled to be back onstage in front of a live audience.

“Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like I had been away for that long. I thought I might be more nervous because it had been such a long time due to Covid, however my muscle memory of gigging kicked in and I absolutely loved interacting with the audience, singing so many of my songs with just a piano. It was a beautiful experience.”

Young’s recent eighth studio album ‘Crying On The Bathroom Floor’ was really well received and he will be playing some of those songs on the new tour, along with all the other hits.

“I will definitely be playing the singles from the latest album. I have been so thrilled with how well the whole record has been received. Sometimes things just fall into place and, with the combination of great production plus brilliant artists and songs, it worked out really well. I’m very proud of it.”

Throughout his career, Young has managed to shine a spotlight on some of his favourite, leftfield female pop artists, a number of whom featured on his latest record. He wrote to each of those women and explained why he chose to record their songs.

Many of them replied to him.

“All of the responses were lovely, but I was particularly moved by Clare Maguire’s response. Her single ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ is such a special song and she’s such a kind person. I was so pleased that she was really thrilled with my version.”

Young’s new single is a remix of his version of Swedish pop artist Robyn’s ‘Indestructible’.

“Robyn was very much an artist I wanted to cover – she’s so well respected as a pop artist and songwriter. I felt like ‘Indestructible’ was the song of hers that I could do a good original-sounding version of.”

It’s well documented that dogs and gardening are amongst his great passions in life (he’s even appeared on BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World on a few occasions). Those things helped during the lockdowns these past 18 months.

“Animals are a huge passion of mine – having rescue dogs to look after with all their various operations and rehabilitation definitely kept me focused.

“One of my concerns I’m exploring at the moment is how dogs like beagles are tested on in laboratories when they don’t need to be. If I can shine a light on animal cruelty then I will. When it comes to gardening, I absolutely love it and get so much satisfaction out of it. I loved appearing on Gardeners’ World – it’s one of my favourite TV shows.”

Acting is another passion and he was even nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his role in the revival of Cabaret on stage in London a few years ago.

There are plans for more.

“I’m very excited as I’ve just signed up with a new brilliant acting agent and I already have some plans in place for next year – more news coming soon.”

Will Young celebrates the 20th anniversary of his winning ITV’s first ever Pop Idol with a newly-announced UK tour, which takes in 22 towns and cities in autumn 2022. For a full list of shows and further info, fans should visit www.willyoung.co.uk