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
Very Kind
Will Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But this ain't livin'
You wish you could go back
And begin it, all over
But it's over
You fight you fight
You just keep saying
In no time
It's been a long time
You still got made to turn it
You still got made to lift you up
[Chorus]
You got wings
But you can't fly
You got so much pain inside
You're very kind
In your dreams you're so high
But you don't live that in your life
You're very kind
You're so kind
You do you do
You love me baby
I can't fight when you leave me lazy
With your doubts
Your doubts
You try and you try
And there's no winner
You give give more
But it just gets harder
In your mind
We all try
You still got time to turn it
You still got made to lift you up
[Chorus]
You believe you're not good enough
It fills your mind
Plays
It's in the way of you and I
I'd say a thousand times
I know you're one of a kind
You're so kind
[Chorus: x2]
You got wings
In Will Young's song Very Kind, the lyrics speak to the struggles of someone who is facing internal pain and self-doubt. The first verse talks about how the person is running away from their problems, wishing they could start over but knowing that it's already over. Despite their efforts to fight, the pain doesn't seem to be going away, and they feel stuck in their own mind. The chorus describes how the person has the potential for greatness, represented by wings that they have, but they can't seem to fly because of the pain they carry inside. The lyrics also point out how kind this person is, despite their struggles.
In the second verse, the lyrics focus on a specific relationship where the person is being loved by someone but can't reciprocate it fully because of their own self-doubt. They give in to laziness and let their doubts consume them. The chorus repeats, emphasizing that the person is very kind, but they don't live up to their potential because of the pain they carry within.
Overall, the theme of the song seems to be self-doubt and mental struggles. The lyrics describe how someone can have the potential for greatness, but it's hindered by internal pain that they can't seem to shake. Despite this, they are still kind, showing that even in their darkest moments, they have a good heart.
Line by Line Meaning
You run, you run
You keep running away from your problems and difficulties in life
But this ain't livin'
You aren't truly living your life by constantly avoiding your problems
You wish you could go back
You have regrets in your life that you wish you could change
And begin it, all over
You want to start over from the beginning to have a chance to make things right
But it's over
However, the opportunity to start over no longer exists
You fight you fight
You continue to struggle and fight in your life
You just keep saying
You keep telling yourself that things will get better eventually
You feel better come sooner or later
You believe that with time, your struggles and pains will fade away
In no time
It feels like time has passed quickly, but your struggles remain
It's been a long time
You have been dealing with these struggles for a long time
You still got made to turn it
You still have the strength and ability to turn things around
You still got made to lift you up
You still have someone or something to help and support you
You got wings
You have the potential to reach great heights and achieve your dreams
But you can't fly
However, you are held back by the pain and struggles that weigh you down
You got so much pain inside
You are suffering inside, and it's hindering your ability to soar
You're very kind
Despite your struggles, you remain compassionate and caring towards others
In your dreams you're so high
In your imagination, you have the confidence to reach new heights
But you don't live that in your life
However, you can't seem to realize that potential in reality
You do you do
You continue to do what you do even though it may not be working
You love me baby
You love someone who is trying to help you
I can't fight when you leave me lazy
However, when you depend on that person too much, it makes you feel unmotivated
With your doubts
Your self-doubt is stopping you from moving forward
You try and you try
You keep trying to improve yourself and overcome your struggles
And there's no winner
However, you feel like you're not making any progress, and there's no end to your struggles
You give give more
You keep giving your all to overcome your struggles
But it just gets harder
However, the more effort you put in, the more difficult it becomes to move forward
In your mind
Despite all of this, you haven't given up hope
We all try
Everyone goes through struggles and tries their best to overcome them
You believe you're not good enough
You are plagued by a deep-seated feeling of inadequacy
It fills your mind
This feeling constantly occupies your thoughts
Plays
It plays like a broken record, repeating itself over and over in your head
It's in the way of you and I
This feeling is preventing you from living life to the fullest, and it's harming your relationships
I'd say a thousand times
The people who care about you try to reassure you and remind you of your worth
I know you're one of a kind
They recognize that you are unique and valuable, despite your struggles
You're so kind
And they appreciate your compassion and patience with them, even when you're struggling yourself
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BEHEMOTH PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Debbie Wynne
Music for the soul
leona hartopp
Brilliant
Natalia Iakovidou
❤