Young was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, UK, with a non-identical twin, Rupert. He was educated at Horris Hill preparatory school and Wellington College.
He then attended the University of Exeter where he read Politics. At university, some of Young's old haunts included Timepiece, The Old Firehouse, and Harry's, where he used to work. In September 2001, he became a student at the Arts Educational School in Chiswick, London, starting a three-year course in musical theatre with a scholarship.
In February 2002, Young came to national prominence by singing in and winning the ITV singing contest/reality tv show Pop Idol.
Contrary to popular belief, Will was not a surprise winner when beating Gareth Gates in the final show; in fact, he gained the most votes nearly every week throughout the entire finals. A lot of 'casual' viewers of Pop Idol may have been surprised at Will's victory because Gareth had got a lot of publicity (partly) due to his stutter, perhaps creating the illusion that he was more likely to win than Will.
Young's first single was a double A-side featuring Westlife's song "Evergreen" and "Anything Is Possible", a new song written for the winner of the show by Cathy Dennis. This became the fastest-selling debut in UK chart history selling 403,027 copies on its day of release. It went on to sell over 1.4 million copies and in the official list of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK issued later that year, it appeared 12th. Will subsequently made headlines by revealing he was gay. He went on to win the Brits Best Breakthrough Act Award and a plethora of other awards, including most recently Best Artist in the Digital Music Awards October 2004. Early singles of note include "Light My Fire" (done José Feliciano style), "Leave Right Now", and "Friday's Child". The latter is the title of his second album, which was largely self-penned, went five-times platinum, also receiving awards and critical acclaim.
Young received his second Brit Award in February 2005 for his co-written single "Your Game". Following sell out theatre and arena tours in 2004, he toured again at outside festival venues in Summer 2005. On July 6, 2005, he performed at Edinburgh 50,000 - The Final Push, the final concert of Live 8, where he did a duet with James Brown on "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag". His third album, Keep On was released in November 2005, together with the first single from same, "Switch It On".
On 29 September 2008, Young's fourth album, Let It Go, was released, and peaked at #2 in the UK albums chart. It was preceded by the single "Changes" on 15 September, which peaked at #10. His next single "Grace" was released on 1 December 2008, and peaked at #33 on the UK Singles Chart. Will's third single taken from the album will be "Let It Go", was released on 2 March 2009 in the UK, and peaked at #58 on the UK Singles Chart. The fourth and final single was "Tell Me the Worst", and was released on July 5, 2009 only in the UK. It served as a club promo, and featured some Fred Falke remixes.
A greatest hits collection, The Hits, was released on the 16th of November 2009. contains twelve songs from Young's first four studio albums, and two new tracks. The first is new single "Hopes & Fears", and the second is a ballad called "If It Hadn't Been for Love". The album will be released as a standard edition and a deluxe edition, which will include a DVD of all the music videos.
Songfacts reports that Jealousy, the first single from Young’s fifth studio album Echoes is a dance pop track produced by Richard X (Sugababes, Annie). The song will be released on August 21, 2011.
Young has been nominated for Ten BRIT Awards [4 x Best British Male - 4 X Best British single - Best pop Act- Best Breakthrough] . In May 2006, he was voted the UK's favourite artist ever in a poll conducted by commercial radio. In May 2007, he was voted the UK's favourite artist of all time for the second consecutive year.
Young has also broadened his repertoire by launching an acting career, taking a role in the BBC film, Mrs. Henderson Presents, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, with Will playing the character of 'Bertie'. The film went on release in the UK on 25 November 2005, and received excellent reviews, not least for Young's performance as actor and singer in the movie. It includes a scene in which he appears naked.
Will 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 may 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."
Will also supports Mencap and Positive Action Southwest (PASW) for which he performed at his first solo concert in July 2003 at Killerton Hall, Exeter.
Official Website: http://www.willyoung.co.uk/global/home
Easy
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you´ll always be the same
you can´t be alone
each day, waiting at your gate
you know it´s not too late
you won´t be alone
well, easy hurt yourself
be easy on yourself
I´m easy with the world
play, you never thought you´d win
the brightest lights will dim
then you won´t be alone
get out on your way
a world where you belong
where you will sing this song
´cause you won´t be alone
well, easy hurt yourself
be easy on yourself
follow me, follow me
I´m easy with the world
on and on and on
there will be heartaches of young ones
on and on and on
oh, I admit it´s much more fun
and on and on and on you´ll hear the laughter and feel the sun
on and on and on and on and on and on...
well, easy hurt herself
be easy on yourself
follow me, follow me
I´m easy with the world
The song "Easy" by Will Young is an uplifting and encouraging anthem for anyone who is struggling to find their place in the world. The lyrics tell the listener that they are not alone and that they can overcome their hardships. The song begins with the line "Hey, smile I'm on my way," which immediately sets a positive tone. Young sings that the listener will always be the same, and they cannot be alone. He assures them that each day they are waiting at their gate, it is never too late to join the rest of the world.
Young encourages the listener to be easy on themselves and not to hurt themselves, letting them know that he is with them and will help them in any way he can. He touches on the fact that everyone experiences heartaches and that it is a part of life, but it is essential to continue to play because the brightest lights will eventually dim, and they will no longer be alone. The chorus repeats the line "well, easy hurt yourself, be easy on yourself, follow me, follow me, I'm easy with the world," serving as a reminder to the listener to take it easy and trust in the process.
Ultimately, the message of the song is that life can be difficult, but it is worth it. The ups and downs are a part of the journey, and it is essential to be kind to yourself and trust in the support of others. The song offers a sense of community and hope to all who listen.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, smile I´m on my way
The singer is telling the listener to smile because he is on his way.
you´ll always be the same
The singer believes that the listener will always be the same.
you can´t be alone
The singer is assuring the listener that they can never be alone.
each day, waiting at your gate
The singer is referring to the listener waiting for someone to come to them every day.
you know it´s not too late
The singer is saying that it is not too late for the listener to change their situation.
you won´t be alone
The singer is reassuring the listener that they will not be alone.
well, easy hurt yourself
The singer is saying that it is easy to hurt oneself.
be easy on yourself
The singer is advising the listener to be gentle and kind to themselves.
follow me, follow me
The singer is encouraging the listener to follow him.
I´m easy with the world
The singer is saying that he is comfortable with the world.
play, you never thought you´d win
The singer is saying that the listener never thought they could win.
the brightest lights will dim
The singer is saying that even the brightest lights will fade or diminish.
then you won´t be alone
The singer is reassuring the listener that they will not be alone in the future.
get out on your way
The singer is advising the listener to get out and start their journey.
a world where you belong
The singer is saying that there is a world where the listener belongs.
where you will sing this song
The singer is saying that the listener will sing this song when they find where they belong.
´cause you won´t be alone
The singer is reassuring the listener that they will not be alone.
on and on and on
The singer is emphasizing the continuation of something.
there will be heartaches of young ones
The singer is saying that there will always be young people who experience heartaches and difficulties.
oh, I admit it´s much more fun
The singer is admitting that it is more fun to experience life with others.
and on and on and on you´ll hear the laughter and feel the sun
The singer is saying that life will continue with its joys and that the listener will hear laughter and feel warmth from the sun.
well, easy hurt herself
The singer is saying that it is easy for someone to hurt themselves.
be easy on yourself
The singer is repeating his earlier advice to be gentle and kind to oneself.
follow me, follow me
The singer is encouraging the listener to continue following him.
I´m easy with the world
The singer is repeating his statement that he is comfortable with the world.
Writer(s): Paul David Godfrey, Torsten Kluske, Ross Charles Godfrey, Matthias Kloss, - Hothomato, Thomas Hanreich Copyright: Edition Ingram, Hanseatic Musikverlag Gmbh & Co. Kg, Ingram Edition, Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Contributed by Nathaniel A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SuperStargazer666
Love this, Sooo under-rated
Tabitha Waters
Love this song 😍 xx
emilymcplugger
These two B-sides are why ALL TIME LOVE was his best single. But what about I WON’T DANCE from the big band album?