Will Young is a regular fixture on our playlists – there’s something effortlessly current about his sound and his songs.

Who is Will Young?

The backstory

Originally from Wokingham in England, Will Young came to the world’s attention in 2002, when he won Pop Idol – a television singing contest in the UK.

The music

Young released his debut album – From Now On – in 2002, soon after winning Pop Idol. Since then, he’s been consistently releasing music. His most recent release was Lexicon, in 2019 – his seventh studio album.

The acting

Young has also appeared in a number of productions on stage and screen. He appeared with Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins in Mrs Henderson Presents (2005), and he made his West End debut in a production of Cabaret (2013).

Personal life

Young talked publicly about his sexuality in 2002. He supports a number of LGBTQ charities, and co-presents the podcast Homo Sapiens. In 2012, Young released his autobiography – Funny Peculiar.

The death of Will Young’s brother

An inquest is currently under way into the death of Will Young’s twin brother, Rupert.

Rupert died after a long struggle with depression and addiction. He took his own life in August of 2020 by jumping from Westminster bridge in London.

Will has appeared at the inquest, describing how years spent caring for Rupert became too much, and that he eventually felt that he had to get police involved. Rupert threatened or tried to take his own life several times.

“I was a carer for him but it became too much…” said Will. “He couldn’t look after himself, and I didn’t believe he could look after his own life.”

The inquest heard that Rupert had lived with Will for the past three years, and that he had no other support system. About a week before Rupert’s death, Will reported him to the police as a trespasser and he was removed from the house.

“I couldn’t live in the house any more…” said Will. “It had gone beyond my means and it was affecting my wellbeing.”

To Be A Gay Man

To Be a Gay Man is a book about Will Young’s gay shame, and his journey to try and rid himself of it.

In the book, Young relates how he realised he was gay, his early encounters with gay porn, and how he navigated publicly talking about his sexuality just as he was becoming famous.

By sharing his personal journey, Will Young helps us all to understand what it means to be a gay man.