Beverley Knight and Will Young to headline The Warwick Sessions

Tickets go on general sale at 10am Friday, 31 January for the show, which is part of the flagship events which brings global names from the world of pop to the Midlands. 2025’s season is bigger than ever, presenting previously announced headliners Train (2 July), The Stranglers (4 July) and Elbow (6 July) to star-studded event at St Nicholas’ Park near one of the UK’s most historic sites, Warwick Castle. 

Beverley Knight is the queen of British Soul music. In a career that has spanned over two decades she has achieved gold and platinum-selling albums, sold out tours, 14 Top 40 hits, 3 MOBO awards as well as multiple Brit Award and Mercury prize nominations. In 2007, Knight was awarded an MBE by the Queen for her services to music. Over her career Beverley has collaborated with iconic artists including Prince, Chaka Khan, Jools Holland and Andrea Boccelli.

Her 50th birthday year of 2023 was crowned in style by her latest album, The Fifth Chapter, and a sold-out tour, with the Beverley saying: “My new album covers the kaleidoscope of my soul influences from disco, R&B, funk, gospel through to northern soul and big ballads.” 

Alongside her solo performance work, Knight has had an equally successful career in the theatre and this month it was announced that she would take the lead as rock and roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe when the production Marie and Rosetta is staged in the UK for the first time this summer. Written by George Brant, the play explores the personal and professional partnership between Tharpe and Marie Knight, with whom she toured and recorded.

Beverley has previously starred in shows such as Memphis in the West End and played Rachel Marron in the stage show of The Bodyguard. In 2023, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her turn as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia. Her TV work included a stint as a panel judge on ITV’s talent series Starstruck.

Multi-award-winning British pop star and actor Will Young returned in 2024 with his ninth studio album, Light It Up, a shimmering blend of ‘70s and ‘80s soulful pop with a modern twist, out now via BMG. Featuring the euphoric lead single ‘Falling Deep’ and the heartfelt ballad ‘The Worst’, the album marked Will’s first collection of originals in five years.

In a career spanning more than 20 years since his momentous Pop Idol win, Will has hit the Top 5 with all nine of his albums, including four at No. 1. He has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, and picked up two BRIT Awards, an Ivor Novello, and an Olivier nomination for Cabaret.

Of his new music, Will said: “I think for me it was about finally feeling more content and being able to go back to embracing joyous unashamed pop music. I get what a great pop song does. Probably coming from a talent show and the snobbery that has come with that over the years, I would sometimes rail against pop but now I love it.”

In recent years, Will has made connections with new audiences through his top-charting podcasts and books in the LGBTQIA+ mental health and wellbeing space, documentary and stage work - notably his recent role in the critically-lauded one-man play by Simon Stephens, Songs From Far Away.