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
From Now On
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't understand
What's the plan
Why I'm standing here today
All I've ever known is
A fear to be grown up
And take the blame
It was not too clear
Was it plain to see?
No time for insecurity
It's never coming back to me, oh no
Never seem to get it
When I know what I want
'Cause it's all a lie
Never knew a time when I though it was right
To get it off my mind
I was oh so blind
I was wrong
'Cause it's all about my feelings
From now on
Hey hey
I don't really care if
You share all the pain
That I left behind
It doesn't really matter
'Cause now I've got my peace of mind
Let me make it clear
No time for insecurity
It's never coming back to me, yeah hey
Never seem to get it
When I know what I want
'Cause it's all a lie
Never knew a time when I though it was right
To get it off my mind
I was oh so blind
I was wrong
'Cause it's all about my feelings
From now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
It's all about my feelings from now on
The chorus of Will Young's song From Now On asserts that he has finally arrived at a point where he is confident in his own feelings and thoughts, and is no longer concerned with the opinions of others. He has shed his fear of growing up, and has learned to take responsibility for his own life. This newfound inner peace and security allows him to no longer be burdened by the pain of his past.
The verse of the song details the struggle that Young went through in order to reach this point. He had difficulty understanding his own path, and often felt lost and confused. He was plagued by a fear of growing up, and he found it difficult to take the blame for his own actions. Despite this, he gradually learned to become more secure in himself and his decisions, and he stopped worrying so much about the opinions of others. In the end, he was able to find his own voice, and became confident in his own feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, hey
The song is starting with a greeting, punctuated twice to create a catchy rhythm.
I don't understand
The singer is confused about his current situation.
What's the plan
He is questioning the reason for his presence in this circumstance.
Why I'm standing here today
He is pondering the significance of his current situation and how he got here.
All I've ever known is
The singer is comparing his current mindset to his past beliefs.
A fear to be grown up
He is afraid of the responsibility that comes with adulthood.
And take the blame
He is acknowledging the responsibility that comes with one's actions and the punishment that follows.
It was not too clear
The situation is confusing and the path forward is unclear.
'Cause this is new to me
The situation is unfamiliar and he has not experienced anything like it before.
Was it plain to see?
He is unsure if his confusion and misgivings about the situation were obvious to others around him.
No time for insecurity
He realizes that he has no time for self-doubt or lacking confidence in himself.
It's never coming back to me, oh no
He is determined to move forward without looking back or dwelling on past mistakes.
Never seem to get it
Despite knowing what he wants, he often struggles to attain it.
When I know what I want
The singer is aware of his goals and desires.
'Cause it's all a lie
The obstacles and difficulties he faces often feel like insurmountable barriers, preventing him from achieving his dreams.
Never knew a time when I thought it was right
He has always questioned his own judgment and understanding of what is right or wrong.
To get it off my mind
He has never felt comfortable sharing his thoughts or talking through his problems with others.
I was oh so blind
He realizes now that he was ignorant or misguided in some of his past actions or beliefs.
I was wrong
He admits to making mistakes or flawed decisions in the past.
'Cause it's all about my feelings
The focus of the song is on the singer's emotions and how they affect his life.
From now on
He is committing to live in the present and be mindful of his emotions moving forward.
I don't really care if
The singer is indicating that he no longer feels beholden to others' opinions or feelings about him.
You share all the pain
He is indifferent to the idea of other people commiserating with him about his problems.
That I left behind
The burden and emotional baggage he used to carry is now in the past.
It doesn't really matter
The singer is indicating that he no longer cares about past negativity or hardships.
'Cause now I've got my peace of mind
He has found inner peace and contentment in his current situation, partially due to his newfound emotional maturity.
It's all about my feelings from now on
The singer is reiterating that his emotions are the most important factor in his current and future decisions.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILL YOUNG, JULIAN GALLAGHER, RICHARD FREDERICK STANNARD, DAVID THOMAS ANDREW MORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind